FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's golf team returns to the links in University Place, Wash., to compete at the second annual Redhawk Invitational as one of 18 teams participating in the two-day tournament at the Chambers Bay Golf Club on Monday-Tuesday.
Play begins at 8 a.m. on Monday for the first 36-holes, and will conclude Tuesday for the final 18-holes at 8 a.m.
THE COURSE: The two-day event will be contested at the Chambers Bay Golf Club, playing at 7,341 yards from the tournament tees and par 70 for the 54-hole event. The course will be featured at the U.S. Open in two months, when the best professional players in the world descend upon Chambers Bay in their attempt to win a major championship.
THE FIELD: Competing alongside the Titans and Redhawks will be Washington who returns to the tournament after finishing second last year, as do Boise State and Seton Hall. A total of 14 newcomers make its first appearance to the invitational, including Pac-12 school Utah, Big Ten member Rutgers, Big 12 school TCU, and WAC rivals Utah Valley and Missouri-Kansas City. They will be joined by British Columbia, Drexel, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Washington, Incarnate Word, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and William and Mary to round out the 18-team field.
KEEP ME LIVE!: Live scoring will be available for both days at Golfstat.com. Please click here or visit http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=5671 for scores as they become available. Complete results will be posted on Cal State Fullerton's athletic website at Fullertontitans.com at the end of each day and the conclusion of competition.
IN THE RANKINGS: Following the completion of the first seven tournaments in the 2014-15 men's golf season, Cal State Fullerton is ranked No. 204 in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, facing a field that features nine teams ranked higher than the Titans in this week's tournament:
Washington headlines the field at No. 19, followed by No. 30 TCU, No. 113 Missouri-Kansas City, No. 115 William & Mary, No. 130 Utah Valley, No. 137 Seattle U, No. 147 Utah, No. 161 Boise State, No. 175 Seton Hall, No. 212 Rutgers, No. 219 Drexel, No. 226 George Washington, No. 236 North Dakota State, No. 237 Incarnate Word, No. 247 South Dakota State, No. 249 Fairleigh Dickinson, while British Columbia is left off the ranking system for Golfweek/Sagarin.
LAST TIME OUT ON THE LINKS: The Cal State Fullerton men's golf team completed play at the third annual Sacramento State Invitational in 10th place at the Valley Hi Country Club in Elk Grove, Calif. on March 9-10.
The Titans tallied a final score of 910 (+46) after firing a third round 8-over 296. Host Sacramento State garnered the team championship logging a total score of 854 (-10), wrapping up the event over 10-strokes ahead of the nearest competitor and being the only squad to collect a 54-hole score of under-par.
The Hornets shot a third round of 8-under 280, which was a tournament best. Sacramento State was followed by Pacific (+3, 867), Seattle (+18, 882), British Columbia (+22, 886) and Chico State (+23, 887) to round out the top five.
Fullerton freshman Mark Cobey (76-77-73—226, +10) climbed eight positions from his day one finish, carding a 1-over 73 third round to finish in a tie for 41st place. Junior Nico Mendoza (75-78-74—227, +11) was just one-stroke behind Cobey, concluding the tournament in 46th place after chipping in a final round of 74 (+2). Cobey led the team with nine birdies over the two-day event.
Sacramento State's Luke Kristo (72-70-66—208, -8) leaped from third to first to capture individual medalist honors, while Pacific's Byron Meth (70-70-70—210, -6) and another Hornet in Robert Parden (67-71-73—211, -5) trailed just three-strokes behind. Washington's Frank Garber (70-73-70—213, -3) and Chico State's Lee Gearhart (73-71-72—216, E) round out the top five on the leaderboard.
Cal State Fullerton sophomore Kyle De Silva was the third Titan to finish within the top 50, turning in a 1-over 73 final round, good for 49th position with a total score of 12-over 228. CSF seniors Ryan Tetrault (76-79-76—221, +15) and Josh Park (84-77-80—241, +25) rounded out the five-man team rotation in 63rd and 91st, respectively.
Competing as an individual was Fullerton's Marcus Mercado-Kiel who turned in a third round 7-over 79 to finish in 85th position. The Orange Coast College transfer carded a total score of 239 (+23).
ROUNDS AT PAR OR BETTER IN 2014-15:
Ryan Tetrault (4):
72 (E) – 2nd Round – Folino Invitational, Feb. 16, 2015
70 (-1) – 3rd Round – Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 27, 2015
70 (-1) – 2nd Round – Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 27, 2015
68 (-3) – 3rd Round – Southwestern Intercollegiate, Sept. 9, 2014
Kyle De Silva (2):
70 (-2) – 1st Round – Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Sept. 29, 2014
72 (E) – 1st Round – Saint Mary's Invitational, Sept. 15, 2014
Marcus Mercado (2)
72 (E) – 3rd Round – Folino Invitational, Feb. 17, 2015
69 (-2) – 3rd Round – Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 27, 2015
Mark Cobey (1)
68 (-3) – 3rd Round – Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 27, 2015
Josh Park (1)
71 (E) – 1st Round – Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 26, 2015
TAP-INS:
• Fullerton's final score of 600 (+24) at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (Sept. 29-30) was the fifth lowest 36-hole team score in program history.
• Ryan Tetrault recorded his 13th top-10 career finish after placing eighth at the Southwestern Intercollegiate. Tetrault stands alone in the number two spot for most all-time behind Mark Anguiano (2011-14) who garnered a whopping 20 top-10 finishes over his illustrious tenure.
• A quintet of Titans have participated in at least 10 rounds of golf and taken over 1,000 strokes on the season (Ryan Tetrault-20 rounds, 1,490 strokes; Josh Park- 17 rounds, 1,309 strokes; Mark Cobey- 15 rounds, 1,137 strokes; Marcus Mercado- 15 rounds, 1,159 rounds, Kyle De Silva- 14 rounds, 1,043).
• Fullerton has carded three under-70 rounds this season, accomplished by Ryan Tetrault (68), Mark Cobey (68) and Marcus Mercado-Kiel (69).
• Three Titans own current season scoring averages below 76.00 (competed in three events minimum): Ryan Tetrault (74.10), Kyle De Silva (74.10), Mark Cobey (75.92).
• Following the completion of the Bill Cullum Invitational to close out the fall portion of the schedule, Ryan Tetrault became only the fifth Titan in program history to collect at least 110 career rounds. Tetrault currently stands at 120 rounds with at least six possible rounds left to play in the spring. Tetrault overtakes Scott Rubzin (2010-12, 2014) in the all-time records, who carded 116 career rounds over his Titan career. Next on the list in Corey Gard (2011-14), who notched 126 total rounds.
SEASON SCHEDULE: Cal State Fullerton's 2014-15 campaign features ten tournaments before the Big West Championships.
Fullerton will also hit the links outside the state of California, visiting Arizona, Colorado, and Washington over the course of the season: 2014-15 Schedule
A LOOK AT THE TITANS: The Titans carded nine top-five finishes last season, while returning a pair of student-athletes that were in the lineup for the 2014 Big West Conference Championships. Ryan Tetrault garnered All-Big West First Team honors after carding six top-10 finishes in 2013-14. Kyle De Silva also returns for his sophomore campaign after earning valuable postseason experience at the Sugar Grove Regionals in Sugar Grove, Ill. De Silva participated in 11 of 12 events last season.
The Titans will have to replace Mark Anguiano, Corey Gard and Scott Rubzin, but welcome in five newcomers to the fold this season in freshman Michael Alvarez (Pomona, Calif./Coronado HS), Mark Cobey (Woodland, Calif./Jesuit HS), David Stitt (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal HS) and a pair of transfers, Nico Mendoza (Yorba Linda, Calif./Santiago Canyon College) and Marcus Mercado-Kiel (Santa Ana, Calif./Orange Coast College).
THE WRATH OF THE TITANS: After losing in a playoff to Pacific for an NCAA berth in 2012-13, Fullerton responded in a big way in 2013-14 to capture its second consecutive conference championship, and first outright title to earn its first postseason appearance at the Sugar Grove Regionals. The Titans ended their most successful season winning four tournaments (Bill Cullum Invitational, Warrior Princeville Makai Invite, Folino Invitational, Big West Championship) while finishing second in a pair of tournaments (Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, El Macero Classic).
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