TUCSON, Ariz.- The University of Arizona men's golf team concluded play at the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Tuesday afternoon at Omni Tucson National. The Wildcats placed seventh, 18 strokes behind the tournament winner, Santa Clara. Arizona went one over in the final round of play to finish with an 864 (E), while leading the field in eagles (4) and finishing second in birdies (59).
Breaking his career low 54 hole score by four strokes, senior Kolton Lapa finished ninth with a score of 211 (-5). Lapa netted two of his nine birdies in the final day of the competition to help him achieve his score. The senior placed in the top ten in par fours, par fives, pars, and tied for first in eagles made (2).
"As a tournament, it was a good one,” commented Lapa. “I know our guys are disappointed that we couldn't have put ourselves in a spot to win on our home turf. Playing in Tucson has been amazing. I have never really played that well at Tucson National so I am very excited to have played good my last time in Tucson. I am very excited and happy to see my hard work paying off. It has been a lot, but I have gotten addicted to the process of getting better. The course is great and overall just a great event. I am really going to miss it."
“Kolton has been a leader on our team all year,” commented head men's golf coach Jim Anderson. “I am so proud of what he continues to accomplish because his confidence continues to compound. He played very solid and we know he is hungry to put a stamp on the rest of his spring. He demonstrates what we want from all of Wildcat golf and he does it on and off the course.”
Sophomore Peter Koo went one under in the final round shooting five birdies to give him a share of 31st with a score of 218 (+2). Sophomore Jordan Gumberg shot even par on the day, shooting 13 birdies throughout the competition. Gumberg finished with a share of 27th with a score of 217 (+1). Sophomore Jake Kreuz finished play with a score of 218 (+2) to give him a share of 31st. Sophomore Max Donohue placed 78th with a score of 235 (+19).
Anderson added; “Our week was very up and down. We need to have five guys compete start to finish for three straight rounds in order to see improvement. We have moments where we look fantastic and execute to perfection. However, we also are making mental mistakes that can be avoided. Our team made 19 birdies and an eagle today to shoot +1. That tells me we have a capable group but we need to stay patient and make better decisions for an entire round. After we put a round together, the next challenge will be doing it for three consecutive rounds.”
The Wildcats had six golfers competing in the competition as individuals. Freshman Tyler Moore went one over in the third day of the competition to tie him at 40th place with a score of 221 (+5). Freshman Martin Larrea shot 226 (+10) to give him a share of 61st place. Austin Stadeli and George Cunningham tied for 69th place with a score of 231 (+15). Freshman Ari Gulugain shot 234 (+18) to tie him for 76th. Redshirt Freshman Andrew Garner shot a 77 (+5) in the third round.
Up next, the Wildcats will travel to Chula Vista, Calif. to compete in the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic.
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