Facing one of the toughest fields it will encounter this year, the Seattle University men’s golf team showed that it could put together three competitive rounds of golf, finishing in a tie for fourth place Tuesday at the Bandon Dunes Championship, hosted by Gonzaga University at the Bandon Trails Course on the Bandon Dunes Resort.
Jamie Hall (Seattle, Wash.) started posting low scores as he moved to the back nine of the course, birding the 12th, 13th, and 16th holes as he shot even-par 71 to move up into a tie for 10th place in the final standings at 217 (+4). He finished in a tie for ninth among the 69-player field with 36 pars as well as in a tie for sixth in par-three scoring at one over par.
Joe Harvie (Orting, Wash.) picked up back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes as he shot 76 (+5) in the final round for a 54-hole total of 220 (+7), finishing in a tie for 13th place. Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) also shot 76 (+5) in the third round as he ended up in a tie for 19th place at 223 (+10).
Ross Kukula (Ocean Park, Wash.) posted Seattle U’s best round of the day with two birdies, 15 pars, and just one bogey to move up 25 spots into a tie for 28th place at 225 (+12). Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.) birdied the 13th and 14th holes as he shot 76 (+5) to finish in a tie for 39th place at 229 (+16).
Seattle U combined for its second straight round score of 293 (+9), the third-best round of the day), to finish tied with SEC school Missouri for fourth place at 882 (+30), just three strokes behind 39th-ranked UAB. The Redhawks also finished ahead of Pac-12 schools Oregon State and Washington State, Mountain West members Boise State and San Jose State, host school Gonzaga, Denver, and WAC foe Utah Valley.
With a cumulative score of 854 (+2), Clemson closed out a 17-stroke victory over Washington, with Utah Valley’s Blair Bursey earning medalist honors after a final round 69 (-2) for a three-day total of 208 (-5), two strokes in front of Clemson’s Austin Langdale.
Seattle University returns to action in two weeks at the Airstream Adventures Northwest Classic in Canby, Ore., March 21-22. That is followed by the Redhawk Invitational presented by OGIO at Chambers Bay Golf Club April 4-5.