SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – The Washington State men's golf team climbed four spots in the final round of the Bill Cullum Invitational to finish in third place. The Cougars carded a three-round 861 (-3) and finished behind Pac-12 foes No. 21 USC (-31, 833) and No. 27 Arizona State (-20, 844).
After darkness delayed second-round action Monday, the Washington State men's golf team returned to the Wood Ranch Golf Club, Tuesday, and finished the second round 5-over par (293). The score saw WSU slip one spot to seventh place in the 20-team field. The Cougars rebounded in the final round, shooting 2-under par (286) to secure a third-place finish. The third-round 286 was the second-lowest score of the day behind tournament-champion USC.
“Overall, it was a great final round,” Cougar Head Coach Garrett Clegg said. “At the beginning of the week we wanted to win the tournament. We had a bad second round that hurt our chances of winning, but came out with a strong third round and finished well. It was a good week – a good performance.”
Freshman Derek Bayley led the Crimson and Gray, shooting even with par (72) in the second round, before providing a third round 70 (-2). Bayley finished the tournament 5-under (211) and tied for seventh place. The finish is the best of Bayley's young career, and second top-10 finish in three tournaments. Redshirt-senior Sang Lee added a top-15 finish, tying for 13th. Lee finished one stroke back from Bayley with a three-round 212 (-4). With Tuesday's finish, Lee recorded his fifth top-25 finish in six tournaments.
Senior Charlie Mroz led the Cougars on the second day of action. After concluding the second round with three birdies in the final four holes, Mroz shot 3-under (69) in the final round. An eagle on the par-5, 526-yard second hole highlighted Mroz's afternoon, as he finished the tournament tied for 31st. Fellow senior Michael Anderson carded a three-round 226 (+10) and tied for 70th. Junior Evan Omelia tied for 79th (+12, 228).
“Bayley had a great tournament,” Clegg said. “It was a phenomenal day for him. He's learned a lot as a freshman, and he really played well. Sang had a great tournament, but he would've liked to play better in the final round. Charlie was our star of the day. He was 6-under on the day. The end of his second round was huge for us. His play was really, really big for us.”
The second round of play at the Bill Cullum Invitational was suspended Monday after darkness fell on Wood Ranch. The Cougars were through 14 holes in the second round and completed the remaining four holes Tuesday morning before beginning the third round.
The Cougar men will conclude their fall season at the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif., Oct. 30-Nov. 1.
