SEASIDE, CALIF. -- The Vanguard men's golf team finished the CSU Monterey Bay Otter Invitational today, and after three rounds, the Lions placed 13th, with
Tyler Williams as the top placer in a tie for 29th. VU had a team score of 938 (307-318-313), +78 , while CSUB won the team award with 860 strokes, good for even par. Menlo's Chase Yukawa won the individual honors by going -4 (211) for three rounds.
The Course: Located not far from the ocean and across from the remains of Fort Ord on the way towards Monterey, the Bayonet & Black Horse facility has two courses, with the golfers playing the Bayonet track for this event. The course was put on the base in 1954 and was named for the 7th Infantry Light Fighter Division (the "Bayonet Division") but went through a renovation by Gene Bates in recent years. The changes included a new order of holes for a chunk of the course, changes to some hole designs, more inviting greens, and new trees that have yet to grow into anything menacing. It is a par 72 that is dotted with bunkers and has a maximum yardage of 7,005 yards.
What happened? Williams had an opening round of 77, with a birdie on the first and 17th holes and pars on 10 other holes. On his second round, Williams lost one shot for a 78, with eight pars and birdies on the fifth and eighth holes. His final trip around the course saw him collect his best score of 73, as he birdied the eighth and 17th holes to go along with his 12 pars, putting him in a tie for 29th with 228 strokes (+13).
Paul Howard led the Lions on day one after pocketing a 73, one-over par and his lowest round of the season. He had birdies on the seventh, eighth, and 10th holes, along with 12 pars. He then posted an 84 on day two, with birdies on the third and eighth holes and six pars. On Tuesday, Howard snared five pars and made birdies on the seventh and 17th holes to total an 86, as Howard finished tied for 68th with a 243 (+28).
Carson Limpus had a 78 on day one after securing birdies on the fourth, sixth and eighth holes and putting in nine pars, including six in a row on the back nine. After Monday was done, Limpus had an 80 with 10 pars that included six in a row over the same holes as Sunday (10-15). During his final round, Limpus tied Koski with a 79 and had a birdie on the eighth hole and nine pars to end in 63rd with 237 strokes (+22).
Kyle Koski had an amazing opening to his tournament, as he collected an eagle on the par-five first hole, one of eight eagles at the event. After a birdie on the fourth and 15th holes, Koski came in with five pars and a tally of 79. On Monday, Koski shaved off two strokes for the best score on the team (77). He had birdies on the seventh, 10th, and 17th holes and nailed eight pars as well. His final round of 79 came from 12 pars, including holes 5-9, and put him in a tie for 55th with 235 shots (+20) at the end of his first event of the year. He ended tied for third on par three holes by going even over the three days.
Samuel Santillan had an 81 on Sunday as he banked a birdie on the third hole and tabulated 10 pars on day one. He then had an 83 on Monday with birdies on the third and 13th holes and six pars before finishing with an 82 on Tuesday. His final tour saw the freshman net seven pars and a birdie on the 15th hole to end in 73rd with 246 shots (+31).
What was said? "Always an awesome time getting to spend a tournament in one of the best cities for golf! We had a lot of learning moments this week, and have much to improve on before our final tournaments this fall," said Head Coach
Claire Shubin. "This team has a lot of motivation, and we are looking forward to putting in the work this next week until we leave for Hawaii."
What's Next? The entire program heads to Hawaii at the end of the month (Oct. 26-31) for events hosted by Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific.
