WAIKOLOA, Hawaii – Because of what could have been, the Chico State men’s golf team is coming home from the 22nd annual Amer Ari Invitational a bit disappointed. But what the Wildcats accomplished there is something that they and all of their fans, friends and family, can be extremely proud of.
Positioned well in 11th place following the first two rounds, the Wildcats entered Friday’s final round hoping for a top-10 finish in one of the deepest Division I fields the nation will see this spring. But they struggled out of the chute in the Friday and were forced to settle for 14th.
“We were hanging loose in the first two rounds, but today we came out a little tight,” admitted Wildcats Head Coach T.L. Brown, with a little Hawaiian flair.
Still, at 10-over par for the tournament, Chico State finished ahead of four Division I programs and beat the only other Division II team in the field, Hawaii-Hilo, by three strokes. They also finished ahead of Osaka Gakuin University of Japan and Division I teams Oregon State, Hawaii, Colorado, and UC Davis.
Kyle Souza saw a possible tournament title on the horizon, entering the day three stokes off the individual lead. The defending NCAA Division II National Champion pulled to within two strokes of the lead at one point Friday, but would up “settling” for a tie for a top-10 finish, tied for sixth.
“He’s disappointed. He knows he could have won it,” said Brown. “He was being aggressive, trying to win the tournament, and he let a couple of puts get away from him and ended up 3-putting or making bogey.”
Still, Souza finished ahead of six players ranked among Division I’s top-20, four of whom are ranked in the 10, including top-ranked Dylan Frittelli of Texas.
Souza backed up back-to-back 69s with a 71 on Friday to finish 7-under par. Eric Frazzetta bogeyed two of his last three holes after playing even par through the first 15 and finished in a tie for 35th at 1-under par. He was one of 38 in the 116-player field that finished under par.
Kevin Rei played his best round of the tournament Friday at even par and finished in a tie for 82nd at 8-over. After a very shaky start, Matt Williams went 1-under over his final 10 holes to finish Friday 5-over. He finished the tournament in a tie for 93rd place at 11-over. And Bobby Bucey was 7-over par Friday to finish in a tie for 112th at 21-over.
“This was absolutely an incredible experience for our golf program,” said Brown. “We played right with some of the best Division I teams in the nation. I’m extremely proud of our golf team from top to bottom.”
The Wildcats will be back in action Feb. 27-28 at the Coyote Classic in San Bernardino. That will be the five regular-season tournaments this spring. Then they’ll start the postseason with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships in Paso Robles April 23-24.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
FINAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
