The Cougars Online -- Cal State San Marcos Athletics

Men's Golf Roars to Victory at CSU San Marcos Invitational; Determan Ties for 2nd
February 20, 2007

Competing at San Luis Rey Downs, the Cougar men's golf team fought off 13 other squads to claim the crown at the CSU San Marcos Invitational. Junior Matt Determan led the Cougars, finishing in a tie for second.

It was an all-around great team performance. CSUSM led the three-day tournament from start to finish, finishing with a total score of +38 (902) - just enough to best Point Loma Nazarene's +39 (903). The field of teams featured other schools from the NAIA, as well as UCSD, which placed sixth.

Playing on the par-72 6,750-yard course, the Cougar roster showed the kind of talent it possesses. Determan got off to a rocky start with a first-round +9 (81), but quickly righted the ship with a sparkling second-round -3 (69). He nearly matched that in the final round, coming through with a team-best 70 to secure the victory. Going into the season, the coaches expected Determan to be one of the Cougars' top golfers -- and he is already living up to that billing.

Right behind Determan was Scott Conway. Also a junior, Conway was his usual steady self at the tournament, shooting rounds of 73, 77, and 74 en route to tying for 7th. His total score of +8 (224) was just 4 strokes behind Determan, and both have bright outlooks for the rest of the season.

Joining them in the top-10 was Markus Wendel, who looked just as solid as he did in his first tournament of the season. Wendel tied for 10th with an overall score of +12 (228).

Freshman Kevin Riley came through with a clutch 74 in the final round, and finished the tournament tied for 15th. Brandon Scolman recovered from a first-round 80 to shoot back-to-back 75's and join Riley in 15th place.

Other Cougars competing included Arek Legarra (T-31st), Robby Davies (T-51st), Ryan Brotman (T-60th), and Kyle Kelch (T-82nd).

Overall, the tournament has to be a huge confidence builder for the squad, given that many members of the team lacked tournament experience going into this season. They'll try to keep the momentum going for their next tournament on March 4-6 at Point Loma Nazarene.