SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's golf travels to Akron, Ohio, to get its fall season underway Monday at the Firestone Invitational. The 15-team field will navigate the 7,125-yard, par-72 Firestone Country Club North Course for 54 holes over two days.
"This is a late start for the team," head coach Rob Miller said. "We have been practicing and qualifying for three weeks so the guys are ready to go."
Preseason All-WCC pick Matt McCarty will anchor the team. The senior played all 11 events last season with five top-10s and a team-best 71.26 stroke average.
Konrad Brauckmeyer had a solid rookie season and will be a key team member. The sophomore tallied a 73.24 average in 10 tournaments last year.
The Broncos also have experienced returning players in senior Will Del Biaggio, and juniors Berk Harvey, Zack Kaneshiro and Jack Avrit. First-year players Oscar Zimmerman, Nolan Forsman, Alex Conley and Alejandro Gutierrez round out the 2019-20 roster.
Gutierrez earned the fifth spot after a heated qualifying competition and on Monday he will make his first collegiate start. The five-player contingent also includes McCarty, Brauckmeyer, Harvey and Kaneshiro.
"This is a good first event for us," Miller said. "There aren't any high-quality teams in the field based on last year's results, but you never know what this year will bring."
This is the first of four tournaments in the fall portion of the season. "The fall schedule gives us a chance to get some early season success heading into the most difficult spring season we have ever had at Santa Clara. We are hoping to get off to a strong start at Firestone and take off from there," Miller concluded.
A 5:30 a.m. PT shotgun start format will get the Firestone Invitational underway. Live scoring is available by clicking here.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Name: Firestone Invitational
Dates (Site): Monday-Tuesday, September 30-October 1, (Akron, OH)
Host: University of Akron
Tournament Field (15): Akron, Bowling Green, Dartmouth, Dayton, Drexel, Eastern Michigan, IUPUI, Old Dominion, Ohio, Santa Clara, South Carolina Aiken, Temple, William & Mary, Winthrop, Youngstown State.
Details: The 54-hole event will be contested over two days in a five-count-four team scoring format. The field will play 36 holes on Monday with a shotgun start format at 5:30 a.m. PT. A single 18-hole final round on Tuesday will start at 5:30 a.m. PT with tee times from holes No. 1 and No. 10.
Course: Firestone Country Club (North Course)
Yardage/Par: 7,125 yards / Par 72
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
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