PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Senior Hayden Shieh carded a 3-under 68 to move up three spots on the individual leaderboard, but Santa Clara men's golf scored an 8-over 292 to fall into a tie for 13th-place after two rounds of the Saint Mary's Invitational. Final round play on the 7,002-yard, par-71 Poppy Hills Golf Course is scheduled to get underway Wednesday morning.
Entering their final event of the fall season as the No. 20 ranked team according to Golfstat, the Broncos recorded their two highest scores of the year to slip into a tie with Fresno State for 13th with a 17-over 585 total.
"It's one of those things that's going to happen," head coach Rob Miller said. "The guys are doing the best they can, but they're struggling a bit. It's not from a lack of trying. This is a tough course and a good field, if you have an off-tournament, you're going to find yourself in the middle of the pack."
Shieh continued his strong play, carding his seventh round of the season with a score in the 60s. He climbed into a fifth-place tie with four other golfers at 4-under 138 and sits five-shots behind leader Justin Suh of USC.
The lowest second-round score among the other four team members was a 2-over 73 from Matt McCarty, who eagled the par-5 18th hole. His 7-over 149 puts him in a tie for 62nd place.
Derek Ackerman is tied for 55th with his 6-over 148 while Jack Avrit carded a 74 on Tuesday to finish the day tied for 69th at 8-over 150.
Playing with a pulled muscle in his back, freshman Zack Kaneshiro toughed it out and scored a second-round 78. "With Zack's condition it's tough," Miller explained. "We're playing four vs. five and when one guy goes bad you're going to post marginal numbers."
Miller has one goal for his team's final round of the fall season. "We're going to put our best foot forward and try not to kill ourselves in the rankings," he said.
| T5. | Hayden Shieh | 70-68 = 138 (-4) |
| T55. | Derek Ackerman | 71-77 = 148 (+6) |
| T62. | Matt McCarty | 76-73 = 149 (+7) |
| T69. | Jack Avrit | 76-74 = 150 (+8) |
| T89. | Zack Kaneshiro | 77-78 = 155 (+13) |
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