SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A pair of teams ranked in the top-five in the country and nearly half the field among the top-50 await Santa Clara men's golf at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic, which gets underway Monday. The field will navigate 54 holes on the 7,033-yard, par-72 San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista over two days.

The Broncos need a good finish to improve their ranking with hopes of reaching a regional tournament. They have a chance to overtake several teams ahead of them in the polls. At No. 94 the Broncos are the lowest of 16 squads in the 19-team field ranked in the top-100. Arizona State climbed to No. 3 in the recent Golfstat.com poll, and along with No. 5 Texas A&M headline the field.

"This is the best field we've come across," said head coach Rob Miller. "We need a good showing in this event to kick start the second half of the season."

This event is a homecoming of sorts for San Diego native Alex Conley and Miller is looking at a good score from his freshman. "This is his home course and it's a good fit for him. Alex is one of the best putters on the team and this track requires accuracy on the greens," Miller said.

Senior Matt McCarty, the team scoring average leader at 71.06, will play out of the No. 1 spot. Jack Avrit, Berk Harvey and Konrad Brauckmeyer comprise the rest of the five-player squad.

"We haven't been consistent," Miller said of his squad that overcame an opening 314 to finish tied for fourth in the opening event of the spring season. And just like at the Orange County Classic, the team whittled strokes off its score in every round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate two weeks ago to grab a share of 14th-place.

"We need some above average performances," Miller noted. "We're capable, we just haven't done it. We need to improve in each position to compete in a field like this."

The field will use a shotgun start format at 8:15 a.m. on Monday to open the tournament. Live scoring updates can be viewed on Golfstat.com by clicking here.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Name: Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic

Dates (Site): Monday-Tuesday, March 9-10 (Chula Vista, CA)

Host: University of San Diego

Tournament Field (Rank): Air Force (182), Arizona (11), Arizona State (3), Brigham Young (18), California (33), Colorado (84), Colorado State (19), Long Beach State (67), Loyola Marymount (113), Mississippi (42), Sam Houston State (73), San Diego (123), San Diego State (28), San Francisco (53), Santa Clara (94), St. Mary's (66), Tennessee (37), Texas A&M (5), UC Davis (85)

Details: The 54-hole event will be contested over two days in a five-count-four team scoring format. Two 18-hole rounds played on Monday with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. PT with a shotgun start format at 8:30 a.m. PT for Tuesday's final-round.

Course: San Diego Country Club

Yardage/Par: 7,033 yards / Par 72

Live Scoring: Golfstat.com

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