March 11, 2003
Team Results
Individual Results
Team Breakdown
RANCHO MURIETA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's golf team fired a final round low of 301 but it was not enough as they finished second by six strokes at the Sacramento State Invitational Tuesday afternoon at the par-72 Rancho Murietta Country Club.
The Broncos entered the day in a tie for second place with Saint Mary's, eight strokes behind first day leader UC Davis. Santa Clara made up the eight shot diffence on the front nine but could not sustain their momentum and fell behind the Aggies, eventually finishing six shots behind the UC Davis score of 34-over par, 898.
Despite the six shot loss, the Broncos finished 13 strokes ahead of West Coast Conferece foe Saint Mary's. They also finished 39 shots ahead of Portland and 94 shots ahead of Gonzaga, both of whom are also in the WCC.
Blake Lugar, who led after the first two rounds, fired a three-over par round of 75 on Tuesday to finish the tournament in second place with his two-day total of even-par, 216. Eric Restrepo of UC Davis fired a final round 72 to win the tournament by one stroke.
Justin Ahasic was the next highest finisher for the Broncos, ending the tournament in a tie for 10th place at 13-over par. His three-over, 75 on Tuesday was tied for the second best score on the day for Santa Clara.
Matt Klenz fired the low round of the day for the Broncos, shooting a two-over par, 74, which vaulted him into a tie for 12th place at 14-over par. Michael Nicoletti's 77 on Tuesday gave him a two day total of 15-over par, 231, good enough for a tie for 14th place. Jonathan Edwards rounded out the Bronco scoring as his 79 on Tuesday gave him a three-round total of 19-over par, 235.
"We're getting closer to where we want to be," said head coach John Kennaday following the round. "We turned a corner a couple of weeks ago and we are starting to put it all together. We are not far away although the scores don't always reflect that. We have been putting up some respectable numbers on some really difficult courses."
The Broncos will look to continue their progress forward on March 31 and April 1 at the UCSB Bite Invitational. Following the Bite Invitational, SCU will participate in the Western Intercollegiate on April 7 and 8 prior to taking part in the WCC Championships on April 14 and 15.
