Fullerton, Calif. -
THIS WEEK: Coming off its first Big West Conference Championship last season, the Cal State Fullerton men's golf team gets its 2013-14 season underway in the Palouse this weekend, heading to the Pacific Northwest for the fifth-annual Itani Quality Homes Collegiate hosted by Washington State on Sept. 9-10 in Pullman, Wash.
THE COURSE: This week's event will be held at the 7,038-yard Palouse Ridge Golf Club, which will play at Par 70 for the tournament. The course, which opened in August 2008, is located on the WSU campus. Teams will play 36 holes during Monday's first round (Sept. 9) and concludes with 18 holes on Tuesday (Sept. 11). Play begins at 7:30 a.m. on both days.
THE FIELD: Competing alongside the Titans and Cougars, will be squads from Boise State, British Columbia, Cal State Chico, Gonzaga, Idaho, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle, and Utah Valley. Washington State has won the tournament three out of four years, with San Jose State capturing the team title in 2011.
WATCH IT LIVE: Well… sort of. Live scoring will be available for both days at Golfstat.com. Please visit http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=4523 for scores as they become available. Complete results will be posted on Washington State's athletic website at WSUCougars.com at the end of each day and the conclusion of completion.
ACCORDING TO LAST YEAR'S RANKINGS: Cal State Fullerton ended the 2012-13 season ranked No. 72 in the nation according to the Golfstat.com NCAA Head-to-Head rankings, making them the highest right team from last season entering this week's tournament. In Pullman, Wash., the Titans will face an 11-team field, which features (last year's final rankings): Washington State is No. 85, San Jose State is No. 98, Idaho is No. 108, Gonzaga is No. 123, Sacramento State is No. 143, Santa Clara is No. 147, Utah Valley is No. 148, Boise State is No. 178, and Seattle University is No. 224. Cal State Chico finished the season ranking No. 21 in Division Two, while British Columbia is not ranked.
RETURN TO THE PALOUSE: The Titans return to the Palouse Ridge Golf Club for the fourth consecutive season, looking to improve on their fourth place finish (out of 11 teams) in 2012. Dakota Duerr was Fullerton's top finisher last year, shooting a three-round score of 220 (+4) for a tie of fourth on the par 72 course. Mark Anguiano shot a third round 69 last season, the lowest individual round for a Titan at the WSU tournament. Cal State Fullerton previously finished 13th in its first trip to Pullman in 2010 and registered a 10th in 2011.
A LOOK AT THE TITANS: Fullerton returns four of its golfers that were in the lineup for the 2013 Big West Conference Championships, including senior Mark Anguiano, who earned All-Big West First Team honors last season. Senior Corey Gard and junior Ryan Tetrault also return after receiving All-Big West Second Team accolades in 2013. The Titans will have to replace four-year starter Dakota Duerr, but redshirt senior Scott Rubzin returns to the lineup after missing last season due to an injury. Fullerton welcomes four newcomers to the fold this season in freshman Kyle De Silva (Orange, Calif./Villa Park HS), Martin Manalo (West Covina, Calif./Servite HS), Matt Murphy (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), and Hunter Thompson (Richland, Wash./Richland HS).
SEASON SCHEDULE: Cal State Fullerton's 2013-14 campaign features ten tournaments before the Big West Championship and NCAA Regionals. The Folino Invitational will again highlight the Titans season. The fourth annual Folino Invitational has became one of the premier collegiate golf events and will be hosted at the Industry Hills Golf Club in the City of Industry, Calif., on Feb. 16-18. Fullerton will also head to various states this season, including Arizona, Idaho, and Hawaii.
A LOOK BACK AT 2012-13: The Titans, a program reinstated in 2009, claimed its first conference championship in school history last season. The team eventually lost to Pacific in a playoff to clinch an automatic NCAA berth, but the Titans ended its most successful season winning two tournaments and finishing second in three tournaments (Firestone Grill, Sacramento State Invite, Anteater Invite). Head coach Jason Drotter was named the 2013 Big West Coach of the Year, while four student-athletes took home All-Big West honors.
MAKING HIS MARK: Senior Mark Anguiano finished his junior campaign strong to emerge as one of the top scorers on the Fullerton squad. Entering his senior season the Whittier, Calif., native holds the lowest scoring average over a career. Over 94 rounds of collegiate golf, Anguiano posts a 73.63 scoring average. In 2013, he had a team-best scoring average of 73.03, including five top-ten finishes.
SUMMER SUCCESS
After claiming its first conference championship, Mark Anguiano, Corey Gard, and Ryan Tetrault had a busy summer competing in multiple tournaments. Here is a recap of their summers:
Corey Gard: Helping the Titans claim a share of the Big West Championship in April, Gard had an impressive amateur summer winning the Industry Hills Championship on July 26-28 at the Industry Hills Golf Course. The senior shot a 5-under (210) to grab the title, which was one stroke better than teammate Mark Anguiano. The Villa Park, Calif., native finished tied for 24th (216) at the Memorial Amateur Championship in Carmichael, Calif., on May 26-28. Gard also competed in the Southern California Golf Association Championship and qualified for match play at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association in Bandon, Ore.
Mark Anguiano: Qualified for the 113th U.S. Amateur Championships held in August at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. He missed the cut to qualify for match play by one stroke after shooting a 145 (+5) in Brookline, Mass. He was co-champion of the July 29 Somis, Calif., qualifying tournament, scoring 143 over 36 holes. Anguiano finished second at the 2013 Industry Hills City Championship at the Industry Hills Golf Club in July behind teammate Corey Gard. The senior to be shot a 141 over the two-day tournament. Mark also finished third in the 96th Annual Los Angeles Men's Championship and ninth during stroke play at the Southern California Golf Association tournament. Anguiano shot a 1-under (287), which was seven strokes behind the champion. The Whittier, Calif., native also reached the round of 16 in match play at the SCGA. Anguiano won his first match play over Brandon Gama of Santa Barbara, Calif. (143-149), but lost to Nick Moore in his second match play on July 20.
Ryan Tetrault: Tetrault qualified for the 113th U.S. Amateur Championships, with a 145 over 36 holes at the Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra, Calif. on July 29, placing third in the event. He missed the cut to qualify for match play at the U.S. Amateur after firing a 145 (+5) in 36 holes. This was the second consecutive year that Tetrault has qualified for the U.S. Amateurs. Along with qualifying for the 113th U.S. Amateur Championships, Tetrault also finished fourth at 43rd annual Men's Long Beach City Championship on June 28-30 in Long Beach, Calif. Over the three-day tournament the junior to be shot a 204 (69,67,68) to finish four strokes behind the winner.