The Idaho men’s golf team stayed right in the pack for a majority of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic tournament on Monday and Tuesday in Chandler, AZ, but failed to overcome some growing pains, placing 18th overall.
Sophomore Enrique Marin carded the low score for the Vandals, tying for 45th out of 111 golfers with a 5-over-par 221 in three rounds. Marin played consistently well throughout the tournament, rarely recording any scores over five strokes throughout, but was held back from shooting par on any of the three days due to his struggles on just a few holes.
UC Santa Barbara placed first overall for the second time in tournaments featuring Idaho. The Gauchos were once again led by Zach Smith, who shot a 10-over-par 206 to place first overall.
Senior Ryan Porch had the best round for the Vandals throughout the tournament, shooting a 2-under 70 to tie for seventh after the first round of play.
Porch he holed three birdies, just one bogie, and parred every remaining hole. Porch was unable to continue his strong play from day one, shooting 8-over in the next two days combined to finish tied for 51st with a 6-over 222.
Also tying for 51st for Idaho was junior Hayden Ritter. Ritter began the tournament nearly opposite of Porch, shooting a 4-over 76 in the first round. He would bounce back, carding five birdies to shoot par-72 in round two, although he also had five bogies on the round.
Idaho head coach David Nuhn said he was pleased with the overall effort of the team and the improvements he’s seen on the course, especially from Marin, Porch and Ritter. He said the team needs to continue to work on its putting, as there were several three-putts throughout the tournament.
“We’re just going to keep at it and keep hoping with each experience we gain a little knowledge and a little wisdom and before too long these young guys will be seasoned pros out there,” Nuhn said in a news release.
The Vandals will look to knock off a few strokes when they head to El Macero Country Club in California for the El Macero Classic Invitational tournament Thursday through Friday, hosted by UC Santa Barbara.
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95