FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's golf team returns to the links in Elk Grove, Calif., to compete at the Sacramento State Invitational as one of 16 teams participating in the two-day tournament at the Valley Hi Country Club on Monday-Tuesday.
Play begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday for the first 36-holes, and will conclude Tuesday for the final 18-holes at 8:00 a.m.
THE COURSE: The two-day event will be contested at the Valley Hi Country Club, playing at 7,064 yards from the tournament tees and par 72 for the 54-hole event. The Valley Hi is one of Northern California's most distinguished courses, weaving through groves of mature oaks, redwood and pine trees. The country club's signature hole No. 14 measures 196 yards from the back tees which presents a scenic challenge for all players.
THE FIELD: Competing alongside the Titans and Hornets will be British Columbia, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Chico State, Grand Canyon, Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Colorado, Pacific, Seattle, Southern Utah, South Dakota, Texas-Pan American, Washington and Weber State round out the 16-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=5866 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 six tournaments in the 2014-15 men's golf season, Cal State Fullerton is ranked No. 202 in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, facing a field that features six teams ranked higher than the Titans in this week's tournament:
Washington headlines the field at No. 21, followed by No. 99 Pacific, No. 126 Southern Utah, No. 141 Seattle, No. 155 Cal Poly, No. 170 Grand Canyon, No. 208 Weber State, No. 224 South Dakota, No. 230 Northern Colorado, No. 243 Nebraska-Omaha, No. 255 CSU Bakersfield, while British Columbia, Chico State and Texas-Pan American are unranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.
LAST TIME OUT ON THE LINKS: The Cal State Fullerton men's golf team completed play at the fifth annual Folino Invitational in ninth place at the Industry Hills Golf Club in City of Industry, Calif., on Feb. 16-17.
The Titans tallied a final score of 920 (+56) after firing a third round 22-over 310 and second round 19-over 307. Sacramento State garnered the team championship logging a total score of 875 (+11), wrapping up the event over 20-strokes ahead of the nearest competitor.
The Hornets were followed by a cluster of squads fighting for positions 2-5 in Seattle (+34, 898), UC Santa Barbara (+35, 899), British Columbia (+36, 900) and Boise State (+37, 901) to round out the top five.
A trio of student-athletes shared the individual title as a pair of Hornets in Aaron Beverly (68-73-74) and Taylor Knoll (72-74-69) joined Boise State's Ty Travis atop the leaderboard with a total tally of 1-under 215. A tie-breaker playoff was not implemented due to travel restrictions.
With a total score of 227 (+11), Cal State Fullerton's Ryan Tetrault paced the Titans in the team competition with a tie for 19th place. The senior carded a second round 72 (E), but followed with an 8-over 80 in the final round to fall out of the top 15.
Participating in his fourth event of the season for the Titans, Orange Coast College transfer Marcus Mercado-Kiel finished the tournament with an overall score of 228 (+12), collecting a final round of even-par 72 after a second round 8-over 80. The Santa Ana, Calif., native finished in a tie for 22nd position, while sinking a tournament-high 14 birdies over the two-day event.
Freshman Mark Cobey chipped in a total score of 232 (+16) after a second round 5-over 77 and third round 6-over 78 to finish in a tie for 31st. Senior Josh Park turned in a second round 78 (+6), followed by a third round 84 (+12). The Diamond Bar, Calif., native concluded the tournament in a tie for 44th with a 54-hole mark of 237 (+21). Completing the five-man rotation for Fullerton was Matt Murphy (80-81-80—241) in 49th position.
Competing as individuals, Cal State Fullerton's Nico Mendoza (68-76-76—220) and Kyle De Silva (76-73-73) performed exceptionally on the links, posting sixth and ninth place finishes. Mark Jensma (76-77-75—228) and Martin Manalo (74-76-78—228) shared 22nd place, while newcomer Dominic Reed (81-85-81—247) rounded out the 10-man Titans' contingency in a tie for 53rd.
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 finishing 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 800 strokes on the season (Ryan Tetrault-17 rounds, 1,259 strokes; Josh Park- 14 rounds, 1,068 strokes; Marcus Mercado- 12 rounds, 920 rounds; Mark Cobey- 12 rounds, 911 strokes; Kyle De Silva- 11 rounds, 815 strokes).
• 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 117 rounds with at least nine 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 Guard (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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