SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara will enter its final tournament of the fall season as one of the highest ranked teams at The Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley. The three-round event at Wood Ranch Golf Club begins Monday, Oct. 19.
"We are looking forward to matching up against Pepperdine," said Santa Clara head coach Rob Miller, previewing the event down in Southern California. The Waves are the reigning WCC champions. "They're the only WCC team we haven't seen this fall, and they come in as the highest-ranked team in the field. It's somewhat of a home course for them, so it will be a good challenge."
Santa Clara went 4-3 head-to-head against all other WCC schools at Pebble Beach in early September. Still trying to find the right mix of players, while allowing for early-season opportunities, Miller will start two freshmen for the first time this year, Derek Ackerman and Michiel Eyre III (pictured).
"This is the deepest team we have had in a long time," says Miller. "With Carlos (Briones) out with an injury, it has allowed chances for our promising freshmen to play. We will play both Derek and Michiel this week, and Charlie (Watson) is another young player who has been good for us. All three have played well at times and are improving with time but they have been predictably a little inconsistent."
Contributions from the freshmen could move SCU up the college rankings. Proven talents in Hayden Shieh, Tyler Kertson, and Gio Gandionco have experience playing for tournament titles. Upperclassmen Carlos Briones and Evan McLeod should be fully recovered from injuries when the spring season begins in late January.
Bill Cullum Invitational
Dates (Site): Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 19-20 (Simi Valley, Calif.)
Host: Cal State Northridge
Field (16 teams + GolfWeek Ranking): Pepperdine (37), Long Beach State (89), Santa Clara (121), Utah State (135), Cal State Northridge (145), Cal State Fullerton (150), UC Santa Barbara (167), Cal Poly (168), UC Riverside (189), Boise State (190), Loyola Marymount (196), Northern Colorado (208), Seattle (218), Hawai'I (232), Southern Utah (288).
Details: The event will span two days and feature 54 holes of stroke play. Monday's first and second rounds will begin with a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. (PT). Tuesday's 18-hole final round will begin at 8:00 a.m. (PT) .
Course: Wood Ranch Golf Club
Yardage-Par: 6,819-yards, Par 72
Course Website: www.woodranchgc.com
Course Number: (805) 522-7262
Scoring/Results: www.golfstat.com
