TURLOCK, Calif. -- The final regular season tournament for Vanguard men's golf concluded yesterday and the Lions placed 13th out of the 15 teams that competed at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational.  VU posted a grand total of 907 (301-296-310) over the three rounds, with Alexander Elia pacing the lineup by finishing tied for 32nd.  CSU Monterey Bay took the team title with 846 total strokes and Western Washington's David Sibbett won the individual trophy by shooting -12 after 54 holes.
 
The Courses:  The Turlock Golf & Country Club, used for the final round, was built in the early 1920s, with the golf course designed in 1924.  The course is 6,641 yards at its maximum length and has a championship slope of 128.  The traditional looking golf course with plenty of trees lining each fairway and two big water features.  Merced Golf & Country Club, used for the two rounds on Monday, is similar in style but brings less water and more sand into the equation.  At 6,519 yards, the course is a par-72 and was established in 1926 and designed by Bob Baldock.
 
What Happened?  Elia topped VU in scoring on all but one round, as he went 75-71-72 over the two days of action.  He was the only Lion to dip under par with his second-round tally and finished with 218 total shots.  His second round was a Vanguard record, as Elia dropped in three eagles, as he mastered three of the par-three holes (fifth, seventh, and 18th) on Monday.  He had eight birdies for the tournament, 30 pars, finished tied for the best scoring average on par-five holes for the event (-10), and tied for the most eagles in the field. 
 
Kyle Koski was next for the Blue and Gold and finished the event tied for 53rd with 224 shots.  He was close to even par each day, shooting 76-74-74, and made nine birdies and 29 pars over his three rounds.  Rex Robinette was five shots back at 229, hoisting scores of 74-75-80 to his scorecard, with his 74 on day one the best score for Vanguard on day one.  He found his own eagle on the 18th hole of his first round and also put down nine birdies. 
 
Paul Howard ended in 80th position with 239 strokes for the event.  He had identical rounds of 76 on Monday before shooting an 87 on Tuesday.  Howard deposited eight birdies and 20 pars over the duration of three rounds and his second round featured an eagle on the first hole.  Matthew Wilkes concluded the event with 242 shots, recording rounds of 80-78-84 over two days.  Wilkes had his own eagle on the second round on hole 13 and picked up three birdies on Monday in total.  10 pars on Tuesday helped his cause, raising his par count to 24 for the event.
 
While not a member of the scoring lineup, Charles Gulbe split the two VU golfers above and landed in 81st after the tournament ended on Tuesday.  With an eagle on the 13th hole in his third round and seven total birdies, Gulbe had scores of 75-82-83 to tally 240 shots.
 
What was Said?  "A lot of good showings and a lot of people trending in the right direction as we head into the conference tournament.  There were some unique circumstances having to play two courses, and there was plenty of high-level competition, but I am pleased with our overall performance and how our younger players showed up again," said Head Coach Jeff Anderson. 
 
What's Next?  The Lions head to North Las Vegas for the Pacific West Conference Tournament, which begins on Monday.