It was a difficult two days for the UCR men’s golf team at the OGIO UC Santa Barbara Invitational as the Highlanders dropped from 12th to last place out of 13 teams. With an initial 298, UCR shot 308 in the next round to fall behind 11th place Cal State Bakersfield by a small margin of 2 shots. The first day of play was led by David Gazzolo, who shot a 147 (70-77) for the Highlanders and sat tied for 21st place individually. The final 18-hole round on Tuesday yielded a negative result as UCR shot 311 as a team. With a total score of 917, the Highlanders dropped to 13th place, just shy of 12th place Santa Clara.

BJ Doucett led UCR individuals in the second day by going for 223 (76-73-74) and positioning in 25th place overall. Gazzolo shot a total 227 (70-77-80) and placed second among Highlander individuals. In third was Ryan Smith, who finished 54th overall, going 232 (77-75-80). Rounding out the Highlander squad were Jason Semthiti and Matt Fitzgerald. Semthiti finished 63rd overall, having shot 236 (75-83-78), while Fitzgerald placed 64th overall, having shot 240 (78-83-79).

The individual winner of the OGIO Invitational was Long Beach State’s Xander Schaufeele, shooting a low 208 (71-69-68) after three rounds. Schaufeele just edged out Saint Mary’s Anders Engell by one stroke. Long Beach State won the team title, scoring a solid 854, distancing themselves from second place Saint Mary’s by nine strokes. The host UCSB Gauchos came in third with a total score of 876.

The Highlanders will next be hosting their annual Braveheart Classic on April 9 and 10 in Beaumont, CA at Oak Valley Golf Club.