Big West Conference Championship
Cal Poly Finishes Third, Three Shots Behind UCSB, in Big West Finals
5/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
FINAL RESULTS (pdf)
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Cal Poly matched par on the final day of the Big West Conference Men's Golf Championship, but it was not enough to overtake UC Santa Barbara and CSUN.
Coach Scott Cartwright's Mustangs posted a four-person 288 total for third place, just three strokes off the lead, in the nine-team event which wrapped up Wednesday at the 7,087-yard Sandpiper Golf Club.
UC Santa Barbara recorded a 291 total for a 12-under-par 852 aggregate and top conference honors for the first time since 1998. CSUN was second at 853, one shot behind the Gauchos, with Cal Poly another two strokes back for third place.
Leading from start to finish, Felix Mory of CSUN claimed medalist honors with a 10-under-par 206 total. Mory followed a pair of 68s with a 70 Wednesday and finished four shots ahead of runner-up Joe Fryer of Long Beach State (71-66-73).
Nick Swanson of UC Santa Barbara claimed third at 211 following a final-round 73.
Four Mustangs placed in the top 10.
Cal Poly's top finisher was Grady Smith (pictured above), who shared fifth place with Ben Corfee of UC Davis, each with three-under-par 213 totals. Smith carded rounds of 73, 69 and 71.
Mustang teammate Jimmy Castles compiled a par 72 Wednesday for a two-under-par 214 total and seventh place while Jesse Yap and Cole Nygren finished in a seven-way tie for eighth place, all at 215. Yap posted a final-round 71 while Nygren had a 74.
Justin De Los Santos, the 2015 Big West individual champion at the San Luis Obispo Country Club, finished tied for 26th, carding a 74 for a four-over-par 220 aggregate. He had the lone eagle notched by a Mustang in the three-day event and finished third in par-5 scoring at eight under par.
Smith and UC Irvine's Bryan Shin both carded a tournament-leading 41 pars. Yap's 11 birdies placed him 13th among the 45 golfers in the field and he also finished second in par-4 scoring at minus two.
Castles was tied for fifth in par-3 scoring at two over par. No one in the field finished even or better in par-3 scoring.
Nygren was named to the All-Big West Conference first team while De Los Santos landed on the second team. UC Irvine's David Kim walked away with Big West Men's Golfer of the Year honors, while UC Santa Barbara's Brett Bennett earned the Big West Men's Golf Freshman of the Year accolade. Gauchos head coach Steve Lass was named Big West Men's Golf Coach of the Year.
NCAA regional pairings will be announced Thursday at 9 a.m. on the Golf Channel. A total of 81 teams and 45 individuals will be selected to compete May 15-17 in the six NCAA Men's Regional Championship sites, with 30 teams and six individuals advancing from regional sites to the national championship, to be played May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
The six regional sites are Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash., Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind., University Club in Baton Rouge, La., and The Grove in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
