McCarty Runner-Up, Men’s Golf Fifth at El Macero Classic

Posted: Apr 12, 2021

EL MACERO, Calif. – Matt McCarty nearly won the individual title and Santa Clara men's golf put together its best closing 36 holes of the season in finishing fifth at the three-day El Macero Classic.

Behind McCarty's 5-under-par 67, the Broncos fired a final-round 6-under, matching a season-low and tying for the second-best score on Monday at El Macero Country Club. But they weren't able to crack the tightly-bunched top four after entering the day in a tie for fifth.

Santa Clara posted a 6-under total of 858 (293-283-282), its best mark of the year and McCarty was the runner-up with an 11-under 205 (70-68-67), two shots off the pace.

"The team showed a lot of heart this week," Santa Clara head coach Andrew Larkin said. "We were 11-over through eight holes on Saturday and played the rest of the event in 17-under. It was a full team effort to get back into contention."

Host UC Davis and Saint Mary's each shot 16-under with the Aggies collecting the title using final-day scoring on the par-five 18th as the tiebreaker. San Francisco was two shots back in third and Fresno State which carded a 13-under was fourth.

Matthew Sutherland of Fresno State held onto his second-round lead and won with a 13-under 203 (68-66-69). He was the only one in the field in the 60s each round.

McCarty entered the final round in a tie for third, four shots behind Sutherland. McCarty had four birdies in the first seven holes and ended with birdies in two of his final three.

Berk Harvey and Oscar Zimmerman also had solid final rounds, each shooting 2-under. Harvey moved up 11 spots from Sunday's second round to end in a tie for 24th at 1-over 217 (74-73-70). Zimmerman shot up 18 spots to a tie for 35th at 4-over 220 (76-74-70).

Individuals from many of the 15 teams in the tournament competed in the nearby Wildhorse Classic and a number of Broncos shined led by Nolan Forsman who claimed the individual title. Three of the five Santa Clara entries finished among the top 10.

Forsman shot a final-round 4-under-par for a one-shot victory over Jonathan Tanihana of Sacramento State. Forsman totaled 8-under 208 (71-69-68) at the tournament that ran concurrently with the El Macero Classic.

Forsman was 5-under over the final 14 holes.

"For Nolan to get his first collegiate victory after being hurt to start the season is a testament to his hard work," Larkin said. "Winning doesn't come easy and he certainly earned it."

Zack Kaneshiro also went 4-under in the final 18 holes and finished sixth at even-par 216 (77-71-68). Johnny Ward was tied for ninth at 4-over 220 (77-72-71).

"On the individual side, I'm proud of the way the guys took advantage of the opportunity this week," Larkin said.

Jack Avrit and Alex Conley rounded out the lineup at the El Macero Classic.

Avrit was tied for 39th at 5-over 221 (73-70-78) and Conley tied for 64th at 11-over 227 (80-72-75).

Alejandro Gutierrez was tied for 11th at 5-over 221 (77-70-74) and Konrad Brauckmeyer tied for 14th at 10-over 226 (81-73-72) in the Wildhorse Classic.

NOTES
• Matt McCarty's total of 205 was tied for the second-best in his career. He posted his 18th-career top-10 showing.
• McCarty was seeking his second-career collegiate victory. He captured The Farms Invitational (Feb. 12-13, 2018).

NEXT UP
The Broncos will play in the PING Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, on April 23-24.