COTO DE CAZA, Calif. – Overcoming a disastrous first-round, Santa Clara men's golf moved up 11 spots on the team leaderboard over the final 36 holes to finish in a three-way tie for fourth with a 900 total at the inaugural Orange County Collegiate Classic.
The Broncos completed the suspended second-round on the 6,986-yard Coto de Caza South Course at 294, matching the lowest score in the 17-team field and a 20-swing improvement from Monday's opener. They shaved two more strokes off that total with a final-round 292 to end in a tie with UC Santa Barbara and tournament host UC Irvine, 24 swings behind co-champions San Francisco and Cal State Fullerton.
"We played better today," head coach Rob Miller said. "It was a nice comeback by the guys."
Individually the Broncos were led by freshman Alex Conley, who earned his first top-10 finish. He shot 1-over across the last 36 holes ending the tournament with an even-par 72 to finish tied for ninth with nine other golfers at 6-over 222.
Senior Matt McCarty rebounded from an opening 80 to also shoot 1-over across the last 36 holes. He climbed eight spots on the individual leaderboard to grab a share of 23rd with a 225 total, one swing better than teammate Zack Kaneshiro, who's final-round 74 left him tied for 25th at 226.
With a pair of 73s over the last two rounds, junior Jack Avrit climbed the leaderboard to finish in the top half of the field tied for 29th at 227.
Following rounds of 83 and 81, sophomore Konrad Brauckmeyer salvaged his day with a final-round 75 to finish at 239.
"We turned into some nasty wind at the wrong time yesterday," Miller noted. "Today was the exact opposite. Everyone played well the last two rounds and we were able to recover."
The Broncos will head to Hawai'i next week to compete in the John A. Burns Intercollegiate. The three-day tournament gets underway on Feb. 20 at the Wailua Golf Course in Kauai.
Santa Clara Final Individual Results
| T9. | Alex Conley | 77-73-72 = 222 (+6) |
| T23. | Matt McCarty | 80-72-73 = 225 (+9) |
| T25. | Zack Kaneshiro | 76-76-74 = 226 (+10) |
| T29. | Jack Avrit | 81-73-73 = 227 (+11) |
| T65. | Konrad Brauckmeyer | 83-81-75 = 239 (+23) |
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
• Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Men's Golf: Twitter |Instagram | Facebook