Utah Valley men’s golf continued their spring season Feb. 24-25 at The Joust in Jurupa Valley, Calif., placing 12th overall with freshman Kai Iguchi finishing at a career-best eighth individually.
The two-day, 54-hole event was hosted by fellow WAC competitor California Baptist at Goose Creek Golf Club. The course is a challenging par-70 with a 6,839-yard first and second round and a 6,728-yard final round. The tournament featured three awards: an individual medal, a team trophy and an All-Five Team Champion — awarded to the team who has the lowest combined score of all five golfers.
The Wolverines competed against WAC teams CBU and Seattle, as well as Dixie State, Cal Poly, Fraser Valley, Gonzaga, Idaho, La Verne, North Dakota State, Omaha, Pacific and Sacramento State. UCLA, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine also sent individuals to compete in the 85-player field.
Seniors Gabe Lysen and Zane Loveland, junior Jake Bryson and freshmen Dylan Naylor and Iguchi represented UVU.
The Wolverines shot 19-over-par 299 in the first round, 18-over-par 298 in the second round and 36-over-par 316 in the final round, carding a 73-over-par 913 for the course and finishing 12th overall.
Iguchi led the team throughout the entire tournament. He finished the first two rounds 1-over-par 141, placing himself in a tie for ninth. Despite heavy winds and difficult playing conditions during the final 18, Iguchi’s continued his terrific play to card a 6-over-par 76 and finish in eighth place.
Loveland and Bryson also had good performances, shooting 230 and 235 for the course, respectively. Naylor was the only Wolverine to shoot an eagle in the tournament and finished with a 237; Lysen trailed by a few strokes and finished with a 241.
Omaha handily took first by finishing nine strokes better than second place with a collective 30-over-par 870. Additionally, Omaha’s Witchayapat Sinsrang shot 2-under for the course and finished atop the individual rankings. It was SU, however, that carded a five-man score of 1,117 and was named the All-Five Team Champion.
The Wolverines will next compete March 2-3 at the Fort Lauderdale Invitational. The tournament will be hosted by Loyola University Maryland at Fort Lauderdale Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Follow UVU men’s golf on Instagram (@uvumgolf) and Twitter (@UVUmgolf) for updates on the team.
Photo courtesy of UVU Athletics
