With the last chance to gain confidence before the WAC Championships, the Idaho men’s golf team competed in the El Macero Classic in El Macero, Calif.
In the last tournament of the regular season, Idaho finished in ninth place in the 12-team field with a 36-over-par 900. UC Davis won the tournament with an 8-under-par 856.
In the two tournaments prior, Idaho hasn’t had a player finish in the top 20. Junior Aaron Cockerill broke that streak, turning in Idaho’s best score, finishing tied for 13th at 6-over-par 222.
As for the rest of the Vandals, Sean McMullen tied for 21st at 8-over-par 224, Jared du Toit tied for 27th at 10-over-par 226, Rylee Iacolucci tied for 45th at 14-over-par 230 and Ryan Porch finished in 64th at 22-over-par 238.
Matt Hanson of UC Davis won the tournament, firing a 6-under-par 210.
After starting the spring season with two third-place finishes, the Vandals have struggled to play consistent golf — failing to get a top five finish in its last three tournaments and finishing 14th and 12th in tournaments prior to this one.
Cockerill’s 13th place finish in the El Macero Classic was the best finish for an Idaho golfer, since du Toit finished in second place at the Desert Shootout in March.
Heading into the El Macero Classic, Idaho was ranked No. 111 in the country on golfstat.com, and had no realistic shot earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The Vandals’ only hope to earn a bid into the NCAA tournament will be to win the WAC Championship, taking place from May 2-4.
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]