SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Santa Clara men's golf team had little time to enjoy its first victory of the season as they head back to the links Saturday at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate. The two-day event will cover 54 holes of golf on the 7,107-yard, par-72 Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Broncos scored all three rounds below par for the first time this season in winning the Arizona National Invitational Tournament by six strokes Tuesday. The competition in Scottsdale figures to be a bit more challenging. "This is a much tougher (tournament) field," exclaimed head coach Rob Miller.
The 12-team field will consist of five schools among the top-50 in Golfstat.com rankings from Mar. 1, led by No. 24 Purdue. Additionally, the West Coast Conference will be represented with five competing teams, including the four highest ranked teams in the league: Pepperdine (33), Saint Mary's (50), San Francisco (81), and Santa Clara (97).
Sophomore Hayden Shieh scored a course record 10-under 62 on the Catalina Course at the Omni Tucson National in Sunday's first round of the NIT. He took third place in the event for his fourth consecutive finish among the top-6. Shieh also leads the squad with a 70.28 stroke average.
Updated statistics can be viewed by clicking here.
Santa Clara received contributions from the entire team at last week's NIT. Freshman Charlie Watson finished with a career-low tournament score of 2-under 214 and fellow first-year player Michiel Eyre III shot at or below par in all three rounds for a 10th place finish at 4-under 212.
"Everybody chipped in," Miller said after the awards ceremony. "This really was a team victory, all the guys feel good about contributing."
Juniors Tyler Kertson and Evan McLeod, who both scored a 2-under 70 in the final round of the NIT to secure the team title, round out the Broncos group of five.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Name: Desert Mountain Intercollegiate
Dates (Site): Saturday-Sunday, Mar. 5-6 (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Host: University of Michigan
Tournament Field (Rank): Marquette (104), Michigan (63), Nebraska (212), Pacific (188), Pepperdine (33), Purdue (24), St. Mary's (50), San Francisco (81), Santa Clara (97), South Dakota (240), Tennessee (48), Texas A&M (34).
Format: Teams and individuals will play 54 holes in the two-day tournament. Saturday will consist of 36 holes of stroke play, followed by a final 18 on Sunday. Scoring will be five players, count the low four scores.
Course: Desert Mountain - Outlaw Course.
Yardage-Par: 7,107 yards-Par 72
Course Website: http://desertmountain.com/nicklaus-golf/outlaw/
Course Number: (480) 595-4880
Live Scoring: www.golfstatresults.com
