Bulldogs Fifth In Rain-Shortened Kikkor Husky Invitational
9/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
BREMERTON, Wash. - Gonzaga University's men's golf team finished fifth in the rain-shortened 18-hole Kikkor Husky Golf Classic Tuesday at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club
Monday's scheduled 36-holes were cancelled due to rain and about half of the teams decided to head for home, hoping they could add another two-day tournament to their schedule later in the season, something they would not be able to do by playing Tuesday.
The Bulldogs shot 307 to finish four strokes ahead of West Coast Conference foe Santa Clara University and three shots behind another WCC foe in defending champion Pepperdine University.
The host Huskies won the tourney with a 293 and also had the medalist in Chris Williams who shot a 3-under par 69 over the 7,124 yard, par 72 layout.
Peter Gullickson had the best day for the Bulldogs with a 3-over par 75 to tie for 13th. James Fahy and Brendan Connolly each had a 77 while Travis Johnson and Erik Krzyzanowski each shot 78.
Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray was disappointed the weather washed out the first 36 holes.
"It's a real shame that the first 36 holes got rained out for this event. It always has solid competition and the atmosphere is amazing," Gray said.
Gray said he prepared his team for Tuesday's round as though they had played the previous 36 holes and were "in the hunt for a win. It was an opportunity to see how we could handle being in that position," Gray noted.
For awhile the strategy was working to the Bulldogs favor as they made the turn in 3-over, but a little bit of disaster struck on the back nine.
"We lost too many shots on the back side to big numbers. We finished eight shots out of second. We could've easily made those shots up by turning those big numbers into bogeys and finishing stronger on our final three holes. This experience will definitely be a big help the next time we're in a position to win."
Even though they only got to play one round of competitive golf this week, Gray is optimistic.
"We're heading in the right direction. We played a tough course today (only four rounds under par) and we were competitive with some very good programs. It's great to see us continuing to make progress with this young squad. Peter got off to a slow start but held it together for 75 while the other guys really played better than their scores show. For our next event, we'll face our strongest challenge at The Brickyard Collegiate. I know the team is excited for the challenge and opportunity to play against a number of the best teams in the country," Gray said.
The Bulldogs will be idle until Oct. 7-9 when they participate in the Brickyard Collegiate Championship at The Brickyard at Riverside in Macon, Ga.
