Golf Wins Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational; Tomlinson Wins Individual Title
ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Utah Men's Golf Team recorded the lowest 54-hole team score on record at Utah at 41-under par (823) in route to its first place finish at the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational. Junior Blake Tomlinson also walked away with the individual title, posting a score of 15-under (201).
The team stayed consistent through the entire tournament, winning by 15 strokes over Utah Valley. The Utes recorded the lowest 18-hole (1st round, 266), 36-hole (1st and 2nd rounds, 281) and 54-hole (823) on record at Utah (records date back to 1990) this weekend, shooting 12-under (276) on the final 18 today to come away with the win.
Under the direction of head coach Garrett Clegg, the Utes have won four regular season tournament titles, including the Bandon Dunes Championship in 2019.
INDIVIDUAL BREAKDOWN
Tomlinson won his second-career tournament, posting the lowest 54-hole individual score on record at Utah of 15-under (201). Tomlinson beat the previous low score of 202, which was set by Kyler Dunkle at the 2017 Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.
Tomlinson kept up his strong play throughout the tournament after the first 18 where he shot 7-under (65). He shot 5-under in the second round before shooting 3-under par (69) on the final day of play to secure the win by four strokes.
Freshman Jesper von Reedtz finished in second overall after shooting 11-under (205). Reedtz closed out the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 3-under (69) to secure his spot on the podium. This is Reedtz's highest finish as a Ute and the best three-round score of his career.
Freshman Javier Barcos rounded out Utah's podium players, finishing in a tie for third after shooting 9-under (207). Barcos was tied for seventh going into the final 18 but was able to climb the leader board after shooting 4-under (68) today.
Rounding out the team was senior Mitchell Schow and junior Tristan Mandur with Schow tying for 10th after shooting 5-under (211) for the tournament. He shot under par on every hole of the final 18 of the back nine to secure a top 10 finish. Mandur shot 3-under (213) to finish in a tie for 13th overall, closing out the tournament shooting even par (72) to help the team secure its first tournament win of the season.
TALKING ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: HEAD COACH GARRETT CLEGG
"It was a good performance for the team. It is never easy to win a tournament and to have individuals finish first, second, and third was big for us. I am proud of our team as they were steady and consistent all day long. It will be good to get home and keep working in preparation for our next event."
WINNERS CIRCLE: BLAKE TOMLINSON
"I came into the tournament with a good and confident attitude because I knew my game was there, I just needed to get my putter working. Throughout the tournament, I kept telling myself 'stay within yourself' and that helped me stay focused on every shot regardless of what was going on around me. It feels great to win individually and as a team. It tells me that I did my part to contribute towards the main goal of playing well as a team. With that being said, there is still a lot of work to do."
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITORS
The team also had three golfers compete as individuals. Sam Tidd finished the tournament 3-over (219) and in a tie for second place amongst the individuals. Oscar Maxfield tied for 53rd amongst the field after shooting 7-over (223). Colton Tanner shot 8-over (224) to finish in a tie for 56th overall.
UP NEXT
The Utes will travel to Bandon, Ore. to compete in the Bandon Dunes Championship March 7-9.