Zags Tie for Eighth in First Tourney of Year
9/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
BREMERTON, Wash.—The Gonzaga University men's golf squad moved up the leaderboard on the final day of its season-opening tournament, tying for eighth at the Husky Invitational held on the Olympic Course of Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.
"Great job by the team today," said Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray. "The guys kept a great attitude under difficult conditions today and it showed in our overall tournament, our best finish in this event."
Senior Sean Walsh carded one of just 10 rounds under par during Tuesday's final round, shooting 71 (-1) for a collective total of 223, seven shots above par. He rocketed up the leaderboard into a tie for 27th.
Also tied for 27th at 223 (+7), James Fahy shot 76 (+4) during the final round. After shooting three-over in his first nine holes, he steadied himself and went one over par in the final nine, tallying two birdies in the process.
Two more Bulldogs tied for 35th, just two strokes behind Walsh and Fahy. Sean Carlino and Will Brueckner both ended the Husky Invitational with 225 shots, nine strokes over par. Carlino shot his best score of the tournament Tuesday, needing just one extra stroke for a round of 73 (+1). Brueckner, meanwhile, shot 79 (+7) during the final round of his first collegiate tournament.
Brendan Connolly rounded out the Gonzaga lineup with a share of 69th place after shooting 238 (+22). He counted 82 strokes (+10) Tuesday.
"Both Walsh and Carlino put together great rounds for us today," said Gray. "James also dug deep and got a lot out of how he struck the ball today. Will and Brendan struggled, but both fought for every shot. That was great to see, especially with our first event of the year."
As a team, the Zags moved into a share of eighth place after taking 299 strokes (+11) Friday afternoon. They finished the three-round tournament with a score of 893 (+29), the same score as West Coast Conference foe BYU. The Zags also beat out WCC opponents Pepperdine and Saint Mary's.
"Our goal is to move up the leaderboard and we accomplished that today," said Gray. "We had three other WCC teams in the tournament and we beat or tied all of them."
Oregon and UCLA shared the team title with similar scores of 867 (+3) while the Bruins' Jake Knapp took medalist honors at 209 (-7).
In the concurrent individual tournament held on Gold Mountain's Cascade Course, David Ganz finished in a tie for 14th with a two-day total of 218, five shots above par. He shot his best round of the tournament today at 1-over-par 72.
"David played another consistent round in the individual event," Gray said. "It was a great start for his college career, playing against the number of quality collegiate players and have that kind of consistency."
The Zags are back in action Monday, Oct. 20, when they begin The Georgetown Intercollegiate, held at The Members Club at Four Streams in Beallsville, Md. Tee times during the two-day tournament begin at 4:30 a.m. Pacific.
