VISTA, Calif. -- Vanguard men's golf hit the links for the first time this spring semester, finishing 12th out of the 13 teams present at the CSU San Marcos Fujikura Invitational the past two days.  The Lions were led by Kyle Koski and Tyler Williams in scoring.  Western Washington beat the field by shooting even par as a team (216), while the CSUSM's Liam Weaver went 10 shots under par (210) to take the individual honors.
 
The Course:  Shawdowridge Golf Club was designed by David Rainville and can be a challenge for all skill levels.  Most holes have tee boxes that change the approach to the green daily, which also alsos some holes to be attacked in a variety of directions.  A par 72, the facility runs through a housing community and has both bunkers and lakes at strategic places to further test golfers.
 
What Happened?  Koski (+6) was steady all three rounds, hitting a 74 each time for a combined total of 222, putting him in a tie for 33rd.  Koski's biggest highlight was an eagle on the par-five 14th hole, one of 16 that the entire field produced.  He also added in three birdies on Monday during both rounds and two more today for eight in all, pairing those 29 pars.  Williams (+7) had two rounds above 72, hitting scores of 78 and 75 to bookend his tournament, with his best round of 70 (-2) coming late on Monday.  He had at least three birdies each trip around the course and putted home two more in round two, giving him 11 in total.  With 30 pars and two stretches of five pars in a row, Williams ended in a tie for 38th with 223 shots.  His score of 70 is the best round of his VU season.
 
Alexander Elia (+9) was two shots behind Williams at 225 (74-71-80), with his second round being his best.  He had one birdie and 14 pars to begin the action on Monday, and capped the day with four birdies and 11 pars.  While he started on the 11th hole, his back-nine score featured all pars and one birdie.  Concluding the event today, Elia had two birdies and eight pars. 
 
 
Charles Gulbe (+21) finished in 67th for VU, as he came back to campus with scores of 86-74-77 (237).  He had 10 pars during his first round, including six in a row, before diving down for three birdies and 10 pars later on Monday for his season-best score of 74.  Today featured his brightest moment, as he got an eagle on the par-four 16th hole in addition to his birdie on the 14th. He ended the two-day tournament with 30 pars.  Paul Howard was one shot behind Gulbe at +22 (238) and also produced an eagle, as he dropped in two shots early on the par-five seventh hole during round two.  He birdied the 17th hole during his first and third round, and racked up 28 pars over the three ventures for scores of 79-77-82.  His middle round is the third time he has hit 77 this year, his best total.
 
The Lions ended tied for the lead in eagles with three as a squad.
 
What was Said?  "This was a good way to get into the spring semester against a good field.  Kyle was a highlight, but our upper classmen led the way. We are excited to compete again at the end of the month," said Head Coach Jeff Anderson.
 
What's Next?  Vanguard goes to the RJGA Visit Stockton DII Invite at the end of the month, February 23-24.