The 2017-18 men’s golf season got off to a strong start at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie, Colorado, from Monday, Sept. 25 to Tuesday, Sept. 26. Sophomore transfer Tyler Moore led the way with his third-place finish, as the the Highlanders finished fourth overall out of 20 after vaulting themselves up two spots on the final day of the tournament.

Moore’s debut for the Highlanders was close to perfect, as he shot an 11-under-par 205 and finished only three shots out of first place. His round now ranks third for lowest in UC Riverside’s Division I history behind Scott Clayton’s 204 in 2009-10 and Brendan Steele’s 203 in the 2004-05 campaign. Moore’s third-place finish is also the best for a Highlander debut since Sam Gillis and Pachara Sakulyong both tied for third in their debut in the Mission Cup Dual Match in September of 2013.

The Highlanders’ fourth-place finish in the Colorado Invitational is their best in their last 12 tournaments, dating back to last season’s outright win in the Roadrunner Invitational.

The Highlanders ended the first two rounds on Monday tied for sixth place with scores of 289 and 287 respectively. Day two was when Head Coach Rick Todd’s squad really hit their stride, as they carded a 6-under-par 282 led by Moore’s impressive 5-under-par 67 to take sole possession of the number four spot. The only two teams to outshoot UCR in the final round were Utah (-11) and Colorado (-7).

UC Riverside is back in action on Monday, Oct. 2 and Tuesday, Oct. 3 for the Nick Watney Invitational at the SunnySide Country Club in Fresno where they will be competing amongst a field of 16.