Mustang News Staff Report
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The Cal Poly men’s golf team concluded its first tournament of the year on Tuesday, finishing 11th in the Saint Mary’s Invitational at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course.
The 16-team field included six schools from the Big West Conference, and despite the bottom-half overall finish, the Mustangs were third among their conference opponents. In the 2013 Big West Conference Championship, the Mustangs were only able to muster a eighth-place finish. But after this tournament, it appears they have made improvements during the off-season.
The Mustangs posted a four-man final score of 897, 33-over-par in the 54-hole tournament, leaving them just three strokes off a top-10 finish.
Sophomore Mitch Martin was Cal Poly’s top finisher, placing 13th overall. Martin shot a 217, one-over-par, including a one-under-par 71 in the final round.
The Mustangs led the field in the final round by averaging a low 2.95 strokes on par-3 holes, but gave up strokes on par-5 holes, averaging just 4.95, placing them 13th in that category. The Mustangs finished second in total birdies over all three rounds, sinking 15.
Cal Poly returns to the tee box Sept. 29-30 at the Fresno State Invitational at the Sunnyside Golf Course in Fresno, Calif.