EUGENE, Ore. - James Fahy recorded the first top five finish for Gonzaga men's golf this season, placing third at the 26th annual Duck Invitational Tuesday.
Fahy carded his second 71 (-1) of the tournament, and finished two-under par (214). He was one of three golfers to finish under par. The senior had 11 birdies and 35 pars during the 54-hole tournament. He was six-under on par-five holes.
"I walked with James all day today and he played a great round," GU Head Coach Robert Gray said. "He hit the ball beautifully, but wasn't able to get the putts to fall. If his putter was on today then he would've easily won the event. Regardless, it was a great week for him, beating a number of great collegiate players, including the current number one."
As a team, the Zags had their third lowest round of the season, shooting one-over (289). They had the fifth best total in the third and final round. Gonzaga finished ninth in the tournament with a total of 900 (+36).
"Our score today was very competitive with the some of the top programs in the country," Gray said. "All in all, we played 45 great holes this week. It was disappointing to finish the way we did yesterday, but we learned a lot about what we need to do in order to play with the top programs in the country from start to finish. The rain and wind stayed away today, but the course still played tough."
Will Brueckner was one-under (71) Tuesday. He tied for 22nd with a 222 (+6) total. Angus Montgomery (T 62nd, +16), Sean Walsh (65th, +17), and Brendan Connolly (T71st, +20) rounded out the GU team totals. Montgomery shot even par in Round 3. David Ganz tied for 66th and was 22-over.
"I'm very proud of the way the guys responded to our finish yesterday," Gray said. "They went out today and played the way they did for the first 27 holes yesterday. We finished strong as a team and that made a big difference in our overall finish."
Arizona State took the team title. The Sun Devils were in the top spot the entire tournament and were the only team to finish under-par at one-under. Three ASU golfers placed in the top 10, including the top two spots. Jon Rahm held off teammate Max Rottluff for medalist honors. Rahm won by one stroke at four-under (212). Rahm and Rottluff both were two-under (70) in the third round.
The Bulldogs have one more tournament before the West Coast Conference Championships. They travel to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Wyoming Cowboy Classic next Monday and Tuesday.
