THIS WEEK: After taking home its third, top-four finish of the 2012-13 season, the Cal State Fullerton men's golf team closes out the fall portion of its schedule in paradise this week as one of 15 teams competing at the Warrior Wave Intercollegiate presented by St. Regis Princeville Resort co-hosted by the University of Hawaii and Pepperdine on Nov. 5-7, in Princeville, Hawaii.
THE COURSE: The three-day event will be contested at the Makai Golf Club on the North Shore of Kauai, playing at 7,223 yards from the tournament tees and par 72 for the 54-hole event. Play begins at 7:30 a.m. for the first two rounds on Monday and Tuesday and concludes with an 8 a.m. tee-off for the final 18 holes on Wednesday.
THE FIELD: Competing alongside the Titans, Warriors, and Waves will be squads from Baylor, East Tennessee State, Fresno State, Georgia Southern, Indiana, North Carolina State, San Diego State, UAB, UC Irvine, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and Xavier.
WATCH IT LIVE: Well… sort of. Live scoring will be available for this week's event at Golfstat.com for both days. Please visit http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=4041 for scores as they become available.
IN THE RANKINGS: Cal State Fullerton is ranked No. 85 in the nation according to the Golfstat.com NCAA Head-to-Head rankings, facing a field that features nine other teams ranked in the top 100: San Diego State is No. 40, Indiana is No. 41, San Diego is No. 47, Georgia Southern is No. 49, Baylor is No. 54, UAB is No. 60, East Tennessee State is No. 83, Fresno State is No. 92, North Carolina State is No. 93.
According to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, Fullerton is No. 95 in the nation with 11 competitors in this week's field ranked among the top 100: San Diego State (#34), Indiana (#39), Georgia Southern (#44), San Diego (#46), Baylor (#52), Fresno State (#61), UAB (#67), ETSU (#82), NC State (#94), UC Irvine (#98), and UC Santa Barbara (#100).
ALOOOOOOHA!: This week will mark the Titans' first-ever trip to the Islands since the program was reinstated for the 2009-10 season.
A LOOK BACK: Junior Corey Gard fired a 3-under 69 in the final round of the Bill Cullum Invitational to lead Cal State Fullerton to a fourth-place finish over the 54-hole tournament, held at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley on Oct. 23. The Titans shot an 868 to finish four over par, while San Diego won the event with a 14-under mark with an 850 team score. Arizona State finished nine off the leaders (859) and Washington State finished two over (866) to round out the top three. Cal State Fullerton was four shots better than UC Irvine, which finished in the fifth spot. Gard wound up in a four-way tie for fifth (-3, 213), while teammate Mark Anguiano's two-under 70 elevated him to a tie for ninth (-1, 215). Dakota Duerr shot a 70 during final round action to tally a final 217 card, which was good enough for 14th. Ryan Tetrault finished at 3-over (225), while Michael Choe entered the clubhouse with a 230 over the three rounds. Mark Jensma, competing as an individual, tied for 41st with a 3-over 225.
"EN GARD!": Cal State Fullerton junior Corey Gard posted the Titans' best 54-hole score of the year at the Bill Cullum Invitational hosted by Cal State Northridge on Oct. 22-23 in Simi Valley, firing a 3-under 213 to finish in a tie for fifth and help Fullerton to a fourth-place finish (4-over-par 868) as a squad. Gard shot even-par over the first two rounds before carding a 69 in the final round -- just one stroke off his career-low round -- while his 54-hole total is a career low and tied for the fourth lowest since the program was reinstated in 2009-10.
TWO-UNDER: It's a score AND an accomplishment. With Corey Gard (-3) and Mark Anguiano (-1) both finishing the Bill Cullum Invitational under par for the tournament, the Titans had at least two players in that situation for the first time since winning the Braveheart Classic on April 9-10, 2012, when Anguiano (-3), Ryan Tetrault (-3), and Dakota Duerr (-2) all finished among the top 10.
ROUNDS AT PAR OR BETTER IN 2012-13:
Corey Gard (5):
72 (E) -- 3rd Round -- Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, Sept. 11, 2012
68 (-2) -- 1st Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 8, 2012
72 (E) -- 1st Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 22, 2012
72 (E) -- 2nd Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 22, 2012
69 (-3) -- 3rd Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 23, 2012
Mark Anguiano (4):
69 (-3) -- 3rd Round -- Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, Sept. 11, 2012
70 (E) -- 1st Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 8, 2012
72 (E) -- 1st Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 22, 2012
70 (-2) -- 3rd Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 23, 2012
Dakota Duerr (4):
71 (-1) -- 3rd Round -- Itani Quality Homes Collegiate, Sept. 11, 2012
66 (-4) -- 2nd Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 8, 2012
68 (-2) -- 3rd Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 9, 2012
70 (-2) -- 3rd Round -- Bill Cullum Invitational, Oct. 23, 2012
Josh Park (1):
70 (E) -- 2nd Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 8, 2012
Ryan Tetrault (1):
68 (-2) -- 3rd Round -- Firestone Grill Invitational, Oct. 9, 2012
TAP-INS:
• Fullerton's team total of 868 is the sixth-lowest team score since the program was reinstated in 2009-10 and the second to rank in the top 10 this season behind the Titans' 851 team total at the Firestone Grill Invitational on Oct. 8-9 which stands as the lowest since reinstatement…
• Cal State Fullerton's final round 284 at the Bill Cullum Invitational is tied for the sixth-lowest single-round since 2009-10...
• Senior Dakota Duerr's second-round 66 at the Firestone Grill Invitational on Oct. 8 was just one off the single-round record for a Titan since 2009-10 (John San Juan holds the mark with a first-round 65 at the Del Walker Invitational in 2009)…
• Fullerton has had six sub-70 rounds this season led by two apiece from Corey Gard and Dakota Duerr.