ST. GEORGE, Utah, Nov. 12 - Cal Poly came from eight
shots off the pace to pass first-round leader College of Charleston and claim
the title at the ninth annual Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational on Tuesday.
Host Southern Utah finished 11th.
Cal Poly's Camden Price won the individual championship after
outlasting Charleston' Zach Munroe and Utah State's Tanner Higham in a six-hole
playoff. All three shot par on the first three playoff holes but Higham dropped
out after bogeying the par-3 eighth hole on the Woodbridge nine. Higham had remained
in the hunt after holing out a 50-yard chip to make par on the par-four seventh
hole. Price shot par on the sixth playoff hole while Munroe bogeyed.
This is the fourth time the tournament has gone to a playoff
to determine the individual champion, and the first time since 2009, but the first time it has taken more
than one hole to name the medalist.
Charleston shot an opening-round 286 to hold a six shot lead
on second-place Seattle on Monday but the Cougars shot 299 on Tuesday, allowing
Cal Poly to move up two spots to claim the title at 584 after rounds of 294 and
290 gave the Mustangs a one-shot advantage. Seattle shot 302 on Tuesday to fall
off the pace and finish tied with Utah State in sixth at 594.
Southern Utah shot 306 on Tuesday after an opening round 303
for a two-day total 609, which left the host Thunderbirds in 11th place
after sitting eighth on Monday.
Tim Leonard paced SUU with a 29th place finish at
7-over par 151, with Jake Holt second among Thunderbirds in 41st at
152. Sammy Cole was 46th at 153, Taylor Schone finished 65th
at 156 and Connor Van gilder was 79th at 160. John Reid, who was
playing as an individual, finished tied with Leonard in 29th at 151,
while Brady Welburn was 86th at 164, also competing as an
individual.
Dixie State finished third at 586, followed by Denver (591),
Utah Valley (592) and USU and Seattle. Idaho finished eighth at 598, followd by
Northern Colorado (604), Weber State (605), SUU, Oral Roberts (613), Cal State
Bakersfield (616) and Boise State (623).
-- SUU --
