Feb. 26, 2010
By, Brian Elser
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's golf team continues its spring campaign next week at the Braveheart Classic, hosted by the University of California Riverside, Monday and Tuesday, March 1-2. The tournament features 15 teams and assorted individuals in a 54-hole format.
The Braveheart Classic will be played at the Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont and is spread out over 7,003 yards from the back tees at a par of 72. The field is scheduled to play 36 holes Monday, beginning with a 7:45 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament concludes with 18 more holes on Tuesday, starting at 8 a.m.
The field features teams from varying conferences and division levels and three WCC foes: Gonzaga, Portland, Loyola Marymount, CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, CSU Bakersfield, La Verne, Sacramento State, Arizona, Minnesota and Southern Utah.
Rankings and the UCR field...
Minnesota and Arizona are ranked 55th and 68th by Golfweek.com, respectively. The Broncos are ranked 87th and look to move up in the rankings with a strong showing.
"We've got a good chance to compete, and we're looking to play well and get the top spot," said SCU head coach Robert Miller, who feels his team has a chance to win its second tournament title of 2009-10.
SCU's tournament lineup...
The Broncos lineup includes regulars Scott Travers, Jimmy Cacho, Ronnald Monaco, and Cory Mehl while freshman Adam Ichikawa will be making his collegiate debut.
"Adam has really gotten back on track after struggling a bit in the fall," said Miller. "He has played very well recently." The true freshman is also set to play in the San Francisco City Championship this weekend. Ichikawa won both his matches at the event last weekend to put him into the final round of 16 players.
- Senior Alex Bon will be playing in the UCR Braveheart Classic as an individual.
- The Broncos are without freshman Rick Lamb, who injured his shoulder in a practice round prior to the USD Callaway Invitational. "Rick had an MRI today, and we believe it's not too serious," said Coach Miller. "He could be back for our tournament in Oregon (Mar. 22-23)."
As of late...
The Broncos placed seventh at the USD Callaway Invitational and were led by Jimmy Cacho with a T-22nd finish. The Broncos have placed in the top 10 in each tournament this season and have five top-5 finishes. SCU continues to be led by Scott Travers who has placed in the top 10 in six tournaments and leads the team with a scoring average of 70.38.
News to Note...
Adam Ichikawa, Ronnald Monaco, and Coach Rob Miller each had a Hole-in-One recently. Ichikawa aced the 220-yard 12th hole at CordeValle with a 5 iron on February 22. Monaco aced the 152-yard 14th hole at Boulder Ridge with an 8 iron on February 17, and Coach Miller knocked it in on the 173-yard 3rd hole at the San Jose CC with a 5 iron.
