The Cougars Online -- Cal State San Marcos Athletics

Great Final Round Propels Men's Golf to 3rd-Place Finish; Conway Ties for Second
October 24, 2006

Posting the best team round of the final day, the Cal State San Marcos men's golf team tied for third at the Sonoma State Invitational. Scott Conway led the squad and finished in a tie for second.

The three-round tournament, which took place at the Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club, concluded on Tuesday with CSU-Stanislaus on top of the scoreboard. But for Cal State San Marcos fans, the performance of the Cougars was certainly the story. After a difficult start to the fall season, the squad rebounded in a big way at Santa Rosa, playing three solid rounds of golf, capped off by a third-round 295, the best score of any team for that round.

CSUSM finished with a team score of +14, tying for third with Notre Dame de Namur, 5 shots behind Sonoma State and 9 behind Stanislaus.

In a way, the Cougar resurgence was predictable, given that two of the squad's top players were in action for the first time this fall. Matthew Determan hit the ground running, shooting a 3-round score of 214 (69 - 74 - 71). His 2-under-par total was good for fifth place in the tournament. Brandon Scolman also played in his first tournament of the fall, tying for 17th with a score of 223 (73-76-74).

But it was Scott Conway who led the squad, as he has all this fall. The senior got off to a strong start, shooting a -2 (70) in the first round. He followed that up with a lights-out second round of -4 (68), just one shot off the tournament-best round of 67. On Tuesday, Conway closed out with a 72, giving him a final score of -6 (210). He tied for second with Sonoma's Kyle Hopkins, three shots behind Eric Justesen from Stansilaus.

Also competing for the Cougars were Arek Legarra, who shot +15 (231), and Kyle Anderson, who shot +18 (234).

Conway and Determan are expected to lead the squad this spring, and things are looking bright after their performance this week. Coach Fred Hanover was very pleased with the result.

"They did very well," said Hanover. "If they continue to improve, they'll achieve a lot this spring."

Coach Hanover also noted that Conway should be favored to win some tournaments in the spring. The squad will play one more tournament this fall (October 29-31 at Oklahoma Christian), then they'll be off until the spring season begins. And given the way they've improved thus far in the fall, the Cougar community has plenty of reason for optimism about the spring!