The UCSB Golf team wrapped up the Orange County Collegiate Classic hosted by UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. This was the first tournament for the team during their championship season. After three rounds at the Coto de Caza Country Club, the Gauchos finished in the middle of the pack, earning fifth out of 10 teams.
The Gauchos played two rounds of golf on the first day of competition, taking on the likes of Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Cal Baptist, and others as the shotgun start began. Over the first two rounds, the team shot 301 and 294, respectively, to be at +16 at the end of Day 1, tied with Cal State Fullerton’s B Team and UC Irvine.
On this first day, John Bush had the best scores for the Gauchos. His first two rounds came out to 147, which was just three above par to make him tied for 12th. Teammate Andrew Ricci followed close behind him with a 148 for two rounds.
The third and final round happened on Day Two of competition. The Gauchos came back on the green to see if they could move their way through the rankings. After 18 holes, they finished the third round with a team score of 304 which gave them sole possession of fifth place out of 10 teams to round out their time in Coto de Caza.
On this final day, Mason Benbrook had his lowest round of the tournament to finish at 222 to tie for 11th. Following close behind him were teammates Bush and Ricci, who both finished with an overall score of 223 to tie for 15th.
The Gauchos will return to Santa Barbara with two weeks to prepare for their next tournament at the Wyoming Desert Classic hosted by the University of Wyoming beginning March 1.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
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