Hidetoshi Yoshihara (UCLA Athletics photo)
It seems that Devon Bling simply
performs on U.S. Open venues. The UCLA sophomore, who played brilliant golf on his way to a runner-up finish at last summer’s U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, closed the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational on Tuesday with a 4-under 67 at Chambers Bay. It fit nicely into UCLA’s stunning team performance there this week. The Bruins were 37 under for 54 holes and won by 12 shots.
Put Chambers Bay, the Pacific Northwest gem that hosted the 2015 U.S. Open, among the top venues in college golf. Only a handful of U.S. Open host courses also host college golf tournaments. It made for a thrilling finish in Tacoma, Wash., on Tuesday, especially given that Chambers Bay recently underwent a major green renovation.
Besides Bling’s performance, his last college start before he plays the Masters next week, rounds of 1-under 70 from Sean Maruyama and Cole Madey also helped the Bruin cause. The team went into the final round with a four-shot lead, but went 6 under in the opening two holes to set the pace for the day.
If Bling was the star of the final round, then teammate Hidetoshi Yoshihara was that man in the second round. He closed a 36-hole Monday with a school-record 9-under 62. Rounds of 67-71 on either side of that left him with the individual title at 13-under par.
Bling and Tanner Gore of UT Arlington tied for second at 11 under.
On the team leaderboard, Fresno State finished at 25 under to finish solo second, and Oregon State was 10 shots behind that in third.
Utah made the most impressive charge of the day, using a final-round 13-under 271 to move up to sixth. It was the team’s best score of the week by 13 shots.
The Chambers Bay scenery was also well-documented throughout the week, as shown below.
ABOUT THE
SeattleU Redhawk Invitational
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by Seattle
University. Team (best four scores out of five players
each round) and individual competitions.
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