The UCSD golf team took eighth place in a field of 17 teams in the Elco Invitational hosted by Cal State Bakersfield at the Stockdale Country Club in Bakersfield, Calif., on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28
Brian Duckworth
“”Stockdale is one of the shortest and tightest courses we play all year,”” head coach Mike Wydra said. “”It was built in 1903, and features huge natural trees, which is where the main difficulty of the course comes from.””
The Tritons had a great early round on Oct. 27, finishing with a team score of 289, which put them in sixth place. They came back with another strong performance in the afternoon round, turning in a 295, that left them in seventh place and 16 over par.
Coming back for the final round on Oct. 28, the Tritons put in a 297 team total, bringing their final, three-round total up to 881, giving them an eighth-place finish at 29 over par.
“”We were a little disappointed because one of our players, [junior] Joe Dolby, was unable to be excused from one of his classes to participate in the tournament, so we didn’t have our strongest squad out on the course,”” Wydra said.
Chico State took an early lead in the tournament and never looked back. The Wildcats finished with a tournament record 12-under-par 840. Cal State Bakersfield finished in second place with a score of 850. Point Loma Nazarene rounded out the top three with a score of 859, seven over par.
Individually, UCSD was led by junior Brian Duckworth and senior Alan Scheer. Both golfers finished with a three-round total of 222, nine over par, putting them in a tie for 33rd place.
“”Alan went up on the last round of the tournament, which is something I don’t think you’ll see happen for the rest of the year,”” Wydra said. “”He had a little trouble with a triple and double consecutive bogies in his final round.””
Duckworth and Scheer also had even scores on the early round on Oct. 27, with each golfer finishing at 71, par for the course. Duckworth scored a 75 and 76 on his next two rounds to finish off the tournament, while Scheer garnered a 72 and a 79 for Oct. 28.
“”As a team we played decent, though we would’ve liked to finish better,”” Scheer said. “”However, this gives us something to build on for February. I know we’re capable of beating the top teams out there.””
Freshman Nick Jones, competing in his first tournament for the Tritons, finished with a score of 223, 10 over par, and a tie for 36th place. Jones shot rounds of 76, 75 and 72.
“”Nick was able to bring his score down for the last round, which was great,”” Wydra said.
UCSD’s fourth and fifth golfers were junior Jan Godoski and sophomore Robbie Kramer. Both golfers finished in a tie for 41st place, posting scores of 225, 12 over par.
Godoski turned in rounds of 71, 78 and 76, while Kramer had scores of 79, 73 and 73.
“”We were a little put off by this tournament. We didn’t have our strongest squad out there, and it wasn’t our best showing,”” Wydra said. “”However, we’re looking forward to the meat of our season, which begins in February, and between now and then we’ll be making a lot of changes, from equipment to technique, and we’ll be putting in a lot of practice.””
Rounding out the rest of the scores at the tournament, Cal State San Marcos came out in fourth place, shooting 863 over the two days, to finish 11 over par. Cal State Monterey Bay took fifth place, with a total of 872. Cal State Stanislaus came next, in sixth, with a three-round total of 877.
St. Martin’s College’s score of 880 put them in a close seventh behind Cal State Stanislaus. Fresno State’s 883, 31 over par, warranted them a ninth-place finish. Holy Names College took 10th, posting a total of 894, 42 over par.
Victoria, British Columbia, finished in 11th, with a score of 897, 45 over par. Behind them came Cal State Hayward, with a total of 903, 51 over par. Master’s College took the 13th spot, with a 61-over 913.
Notre Dame de Namur came in 14th with a 920, 68 over. British Columbia University placed in 15th, with an 80-over 932. Sonoma State finished in 16th place, with a 937, 85 over par. Northwest Nazarene rounded out the field with a score of 960, 108 over.
The Tritons are currently ranked 11th nationally in their division, and will resume play on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 at the Family Motors Invitational in Bakersfield, Calif.
