UC Riverside edges St. Thomas in playoff to win at Chambers Bay
Redhawk Invitational Champions, UC Riverside (Photo from UC Riverside Athletics)
UC Riverside topped St. Thomas in a one-hole playoff to win the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational, hosted at historic Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
The Highlanders came from behind with a tournament-low final-round 276 to tie St. Thomas in regulation, then secured the title in a team playoff, according to
UC Riverside Athletics.
UC Riverside opened with rounds of 292-288 before closing with a commanding 276 to finish at even par. St. Thomas, who
set a program record with a final-round 279, opened with rounds of 284-293 to tie the Highlanders in regulation at even par. Oregon State finished third at 3 over (287-293-279), just three strokes off the lead.
Despite winning the team title, UC Riverside didn’t dominate the stat sheet. The Highlanders didn’t make the most birdies (Oregon State) or eagles (St. Thomas), and didn’t top the field in par-3, par-4, or par-5 scoring. What they did lead, however, was bogey avoidance — making just 47 bogeys over three rounds, the fewest of any team. Their 168 pars were one shy of the field lead. It was steady, mistake-free golf — and a blistering final round — that carried them to the title.
After opening the first two rounds at 69-71, St. Thomas’ Matt Armstrong took home individual honors after a final-round 66 — the lowest round of the tournament — lifted him to an 8-under total and a two-shot victory. Armstrong led the field in birdies (13), par-3 scoring, and par-4 scoring.
George Mason’s Vaughn McMeans was the only player to post three rounds under par (70-69-69) and finished solo second at 6 under. McMeans made just four bogeys all week and tied for the most pars (38) in the 100-player field.
UC Riverside’s top scorer, Hartej Grewal, finished solo third at 5 under with rounds of 69-71-69. Grewal’s 13 birdies tied Armstrong for most in the field. Seattle’s Kevin Li finished fourth at 4 under (69-72-69), and Idaho’s Samuel Johnson rounded out the top five at 1 under (73-69-71).
The top five finishers were the only players to end the week under par at the notably challenging Chambers Bay. After playing the first two rounds as a par 71, the tees on the 480-yard 4th hole were moved back to 535 yards for the final round and converted into a par 5, which became the easiest hole on the course Tuesday, yielding 48 birdies and just 8 bogeys.
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.
View Complete Tournament Information