BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. -- The CSUSB Battle in the Desert concluded for men's golf today and the Lions finished 12th after three rounds of play.  Georgia Southwest, #12 in the nation, won the event by shooting 30 shots under par, with Stanislaus four shots behind them.  However, it was Christopher Chomyn and Jack Peters of Stanislaus who tied for the individual title, each shooting nine-under-par.  Kyle Koski was the top finisher for VU at +9.
 
The Course:  A golf oasis in an otherwise barren desert, Rams Hill was designed by Tom Fazio.  The course has a maximum yardage of just over 7,200 and is a par 72.  Once a private course, the facility is open to the public and runs through the desert with some large elevation changes.  The housing community can make some fairways narrower and there is a surprising amount of water features that pose a threat.  The mountains surrounding the area give some great views and the greens can give golfers fits.
 
What Happened?  Koski garnered a 75 to finish three over on day one and place 38th.  He snagged birdies on the first, second, seventh, 16th, and 17th holes and tallied seven pars to lead VU after 18 holes.  Charles Thurston registered an 80 on Monday to place 56th in the standings.  He put in two birdies, on the second and sixth holes, and collected eight pars on day one.  Alexander Elia had four birdies (second, sixth, 11th, and 17th) and five pars to net an 81 on Monday, ending in a tie for 59th.  Rex Robinette was next for the Blue and Gold with an 82, with the senior putting in three birdies (second, sixth, and 11th) and seven pars.  Matthew Wilkes was three shots behind Robinette with an opening round of 85 that saw the Lion deposit birdies on the second and 10th holes, along with harvesting in five pars.
 
Elia climbed to 48th on day two by slashing his score down to an even-par 72, jumping 11 spots in the standings.  He had an eagle on the 17th, birdies on the seventh, 13th, and 18th, and putted in nine pars on Tuesday.  Koski hit an 80 on day two and netted birdies on the fourth and 10th holes, while converting 10 pars, to end the day in a tie for 52nd.  Thurston cut three strokes off his score to produce a round of 77, with four birdies and eight pars helping his scorecard.  Robinette also had four birdies and seized five pars to lower his second-round score by three to end with a 79.  Wilkes saw an 88 on Tuesday, with birdies on the second, fourth, and seventh holes to pair with six pars on the good side of the ledger. 
 
Day three saw Koski shoot a team-best two-under-par to net 225 strokes for the event and end in a tie for 40th.  He punctuated his round with an eagle on the 11th hole and picked up three birdies on the 10th, 17th, and 18th holes.  He also had 11 pars on Wednesday.  Elia had a 76 on the third day (+4) to end tied for 49th at +13 for the tournament (229 shots).  He was steady on Wednesday with 12 pars and he slotted in a birdie on the fifth hole.
 
Thurston replicated his second round score of +5 (77) on his third round, though he had 10 pars and birdies on the seventh and 11th holes on the final day.  He totaled 230 shots over three days and ended in 59th, one place ahead of Robinette.  Rex had his best round of the tournament on Wednesday, shooting a 78 with the team's third eagle of the event by holing out two shots early on the second hole.  He also plunked home four birdies and five pars while finishing in 60th place.   Wilkes dropped his score down to a 78 on the final day, his lowest of the past three days.  He was smooth throughout the day with 12 pars and a birdie on the second hole to end with a 251 for the tournament. 
 
The field attacked the course, with UT Tyler leading all teams with nine eagles, with VU tied for fourth with three.  Vanguard had the eighth-best scoring average in the field at -12 on par-five holes.
 
What was Said?  "I'm proud of the guy's effort against a very good field on a very challenging golf couse," stated Head Coach Jeff Anderson.  We definitely have some work to do, but I know that we will improve and have a very successful spring.  We are looking forward to our next tournament."
 
What's Next?  The Blue and Gold travel to Goodyear, Arizona, for the Maverick Desert Classic on March 10-11.