SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's golf returns to the scene of their last victory when the Broncos head to Tucson for the 16-team National Invitational Tournament, beginning Monday on the 7,262-yard, par-72, Omni Tucson National Resort Catalina Golf Course.
Last year the Broncos torched the Catalina Course for an 18-under 846 total to win the event by six strokes over New Mexico. Junior Hayden Shieh also carded a course record when he fired a 10-under 62 in the event's first round.
The Broncos are coming off a fifth-place finish at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate two weeks ago when they bested six teams ranked in the Golfstat.com top-100. "The guys are ecstatic for a top-5 finish in this event," head coach Rob Miller said after the tournament.
Once again Santa Clara will face stiff competition with 11 of the 16 teams ranked in the Golfstat.com top-100, including two teams, Arizona and UTEP, the Broncos toppled two weeks ago. The Broncos improved their ranking 22 spots to No. 132 following their performance at the John Burns Intercollegiate.
Joining Shieh on the Broncos five-man team are sophomores Michiel Eyre III, Charlie Watson and Derek Ackerman, along with freshman Matt McCarty.
The format for this year's event has changed with teams and individuals playing two rounds on Monday and a single round on Tuesday. The event was spread out over three days last year. Each day will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. PT. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Name: National Invitational Tournament
Dates (Site): Monday-Tuesday, 27-28 (Tucson, Ariz.)
Host: University of Arizona
Tournament Field (Rank): Arizona (74), Arizona State (27), Brigham Young (40), Colorado State (73), Iowa State (64), Nevada (94), New Mexico State (158), Notre Dame (96), Princeton (131), San Francisco (86), San Jose State (151), Santa Clara (132), UNLV (17), Utah (129), UTEP (58) and Wyoming (100)
Details: The 54-hole event will be contested over two days. Monday will play 36 holes with a final round 18 holes on Tuesday. Both days will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. PT.
Course: Omni Tucson National, Catalina Golf Course
Yardage/Par: 7,262 yards - Par 72
Course Website: www.tucsonnational.com
Live Scoring: www.Golfstatresults.com
