DUPONT, Wash. -- Vanguard men's golf started their season over the past two days as the Lions competed at the Saint Martin's tournament in Washington.  VU finished 17th out of the 18 teams competing with 919 shots (299-318-302) over three rounds.  Alexander Elia was the top placer for the team, as the freshman ended tied for 31st with 219 strokes, making him three over par for the event.  CSU East Bay and Colorado Mesa University tied for the team title, with East Bay winning in a playoff.  Cole Beyer won the individual championship for CMU.
 
The Course:  The Home Course opened in 2007 and lies across the street from the greater Puget Sound.  With rich green grass and a layout that elicits memories of a course in Scotland, the scorecard gives a maximum distance of 7,420 yards.  Plenty of tall grass and shallow bunkers force golfers to stay alert, but the course has a player-friendly reputation and was ranked as the second-best public course by Golfweek.
 
What Happened? Elia hit even par (72) for his first and third rounds, with a 75 sandwiched in the middle.  The newcomer to VU netted five birdies during the tournament, with three coming over the first 18 holes.  He also had 42 pars.  Charles Thurston was 11 over par at the end of the two days with 227 strokes (74-80-73) to end tied for 58th.  He had 35 pars over 54 holes, nabbed four birdies during his first round, one more in his final round, and tallied an eagle on the eighth hole during his final trip around the course. 
 
Charles Gulbe put up a grand total of 235 shots (78-78-79) over his three rounds of action, putting him 19 over par in a tie for 80th.  Gulbe had seven birdies for the event, including three in a row over the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes of his final round.  He also collected 27 pars.  Tied for 86th was Rex Robinette, who had a 238 (78-85-75) at the event.  During his first round, he had back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes and picked up three more over his final two tours.  The captain netted 24 pars for the tournament.
 
What was Said?  "I'm really proud of the guys and their efforts," said Head Coach Jeff Anderson.  "We had a tough second round but we rebounded well with a strong third round against a tough field.  I'm looking forward to hosting our own event and having a great fall season." 

What is Next? The Blue and Gold will have a little break before both golf teams head out to Beaumont for the Vanguard Invite on October 15-16.