Utah Valley men’s golf opened their spring season at the Pat Hicks Invitational on Feb. 10-11, finishing seventh collectively with senior Gabe Lysen tying for seventh individually.
The two day 36-hole event was held at St. George’s Sunbrook Golf Club on a 6,781-yard, par-72 course. Local teams included Southern Utah, Utah State and Weber State; individuals were also sent from Brigham Young and Utah. UVU also competed against Air Force, Creighton, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Seattle, Stetson, Western Illinois and Youngstown State.
Lysen, senior Zane Loveland, junior Jake Bryson and freshmen Brian Sterri and Kai Iguchi — with freshmen Sean Buckles and Dylan Naylor playing individually — represented UVU.
The Wolverines shot 5-over-par 293 in the first round and 14-over-par 302 in the final round, carding a 19-over-par 595 and finishing seventh overall.
Loveland and Lysen led the team after one day of play, shooting 2-under-par 70 and 1-over-par 73, respectively. Lysen’s strong play continued into day two as he shot a 1-under-par 71, finishing with an even par 144 and tying for seventh individually.
Naylor also had an impressive individual outing, shooting a 6-over-par 150 on the course and tying for 36 in the 88-player field. Bryson and Buckles improved drastically between the two rounds, both players trimming seven strokes from their first round scores and finishing 1-over-par and 2-over-par, respectively.
USU, SUU and fellow WAC competitor SU, finished as the top three teams, coming in with a 3-under-par 573, even par 576, and 6-over-par 582, respectively. UofU’s Colton Tanner placed first individually, shooting 6-under-par 138. SUU’s Ethan Gray and UNC’s Coby Welch tied for second with a 5-under-par 139.
UVU won the Invitational team title in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and though the Wolverines didn’t come out on top this year, placing seventh marks their best tournament finish of the season.
The Wolverines will compete next against another WAC competitor, California Baptist, as CBU hosts The Joust. The event will be held Feb. 24-25 at Goose Creek Golf Club in Jurupa Valley, Calif.
Follow UVU men’s golf on Instagram (@uvumgolf) and Twitter (@UVUmgolf) for updates on the team.
Photo courtesy of UVU Athletics
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