AKRON, Ohio – Santa Clara men's golf made up eight strokes with a final round 5-under 283. They needed at least one more. The Broncos came up one-shot short of South Carolina-Aiken, settling for a share of second-place with a Firestone Invitational total of 6-under 858.
It was a dramatic finish to the Broncos season-opening event. They ended the day with the second-lowest final-round score, bettered only by Bowling Green, which moved into a tie with Santa Clara.
"We had a nice little comeback today," head coach Rob Miller said. "The guys played really well. Overall it wasn't a bad first outing."
Three Broncos placed among the top-10 on the individual leaderboard.
Making his first collegiate start, freshman Alejandro Gutierrez carded a final-round 1-under 71 to grab a share of sixth at 2-under 214. He also topped the field with 15 birdies.
A final-round 4-under 68 propelled junior Berk Harvey 15 spots up the leaderboard into his second career top-10. He matched teammate Matt McCarty (74-68-73) and a quartet of golfers at 1-under 215 to place in a tie for 10th.
"Great day for Berk," Miller noted.
Junior Zack Kaneshiro was the fourth Bronco to place among the top-20 in the 81-player field. With a pair of 71s over the final two rounds, he moved into a tie for 16th at even-par 216. It was his third career top-20 and first in two years.
Sophomore Konrad Brauckmeyer (72-76-78) ended in a tie for 55th at 10-over 226.
Akron's Fabian Sunden claimed individual medalist honors by one shot at 8-under 208.
"The outcome was disappointing," Miller said. "We'll try and get a win somewhere else."
The next opportunity is Monday when the Broncos head to the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif. to compete in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.
Santa Clara Final Individual Results
| T6. | Alejandro Gutierrez | 70-73-71 = 214 (-2) |
| T10. | Berk Harvey | 72-75-68 = 215 (-1) |
| T10. | Matt McCarty | 74-68-73 = 215 (-1) |
| T16. | Zack Kaneshiro | 74-71-71 = 216 (E) |
| T55. | Konrad Brauckmeyer | 72-76-78 = 226 (+10) |
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