The Cal Poly men’s golf team took seventh of 10 teams at the two-day, 28th annual UC Irvine Anteater Invitational at the Santa Ana Country Club earlier this week.
Seniors Michael O’Brien and Bryan Pierce carded a 73 and a 74, respectively, in the final round of play on Tuesday, as the Mustangs finished with a four-person, 54-hole 904 total.
“We were disappointing in our performance,” O’Brien said. “We thought we could do better and we didn’t execute as well as we should have.”
Santa Clara, which won the tournament, boasted a seven-under-par 857, and was led by Scott Travers, who shot an even-par 72 on Tuesday and birdied on a third playoff hole to earn medalist honors.
UC Irvine placed second for the fifth top-five performance in its seven tournaments this campaign, and was paced by junior Sean Shahi’s 211 total, good enough for third place.
Cal Poly has placed 10th and fourth, respectively, in its two previous competitions, both of which included 16 other schools.
Leading the Mustangs overall was Pierce, who tied for 18th with an eight-over-par 224.
O’Brien tied for 24th with a 225.
Cal Poly freshman Jarod Knight tied in 34th with a 228, while freshman Brycen Wagner and senior David Lewinski totaled 231 apiece to finish in a 42nd-place draw.
The 6,542-yard course, according to O’Brien, wasn’t as familiar to the team as Cypress Ridge Golf Course in Arroyo Grande, where they usually practice.
The Mustangs will next visit the UC Riverside Braveheart Classic at Oak Valley Golf Course in Beaumont on Monday and Tuesday.
“I think the course next week will be a little bit easier for us because it’s more like our practice facility,” O’Brien said. “Besides, I don’t really think we can do much worse.”