Broncos Prepare for Turtle Bay Invitational

What’s Happening - The Boise State University men’s golf team will compete in its final tournament of the fall season, the Turtle Bay Resort College Invitational, Nov. 5-7 at Kahuku, Hawaii.

The tournament will be held at the par-72, 7,218-yard Palmer Course and will feature 18-holes per day beginning at 7:20 a.m., throughout the tournament.

The Field The 21-team field will feature teams from America’s east and west coasts as well as Japan. There will also be five teams representing the Western Athletic Conference which includes Boise State, Idaho, Fresno State, New Mexico State, and host Hawaii. The rest of the field will be comprised of Baylor, Charleston, Hartford, Osaka Gakuin, Pepperdine, San Diego State, St. Mary’s, Tennessee, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UNC Wilmington, UNLV, USF, UT Arlington, Weber State, and Wyoming.

The Team - The Boise State men’s golf team is currently ranked 122nd, according to GolfWeek, but continues to ascend the charts with quality performances.

 

The team overcame a six stroke deficit in the final round of the Purple and Red Invitational to capture the team title in the 18-team field with a 9-under 567.

 

“This was a great win for our team,” said head coach Kevin Burton. “To be able to overcome a six stroke deficit against the home team, (Utah) on their course speaks of the quality of this win.”

 

This win also marks the first time Boise State has captured the team and individual title in the same tournament since the 2002 Bronco Round-up (Graham DeLaet). This is the golf team’s third tournament win under the guidance of coach Burton after going nearly five years without a team title prior to his arrival.

At the Wolf Pack Classic, the Broncos placed two golfers in the top 10 as the team recorded a 6th place finish.

“It was a solid team performance at the Santa Clara Invitational,” said Burton. “Now we are turning our focus to the Turtle Bay Invite as we gear up for the last tournament of the fall.”

 

The Players - The Broncos lineup will two seniors, two sophomores and a freshman.

Troy Merritt has been a force for the Boise State men’s golf team throughout the fall season and is currently ranked as the 42nd best collegiate golfer according to Golfstat.com. He has four top 5 finishes and is averaging 70.6 strokes per round in five fall tournaments. Merritt captured back-to-back individual tournament titles in the opening two tournaments of the season.  He won the Giustina Memorial Classic with a 12-under 204 and then posted a two-round school-record 134 (-10) to win the Purple and Red Invitational. This season he has posted scores of par and below in nine of 14 rounds. Merritt is tied for third on the Broncos’ all-time list for career top 10 finishes with 10.

Matt Hastings recorded his best finish of the season when he shot a 2-under 214 to tie for ninth place at the Santa Clara Invitational. He was consistent throughout the tournament as he did not register a round over-par (72-70-72). He also helped pace the Broncos to victory in the Purple and Red Invitational when he recorded a 143 (-1) to tie for 15th place. He is averaging 73.6 strokes per round and matched his season-low 70 (-2) in the second round of the Santa Clara Invitational. Hastings is in fourth on the Broncos’ all-time list for career top 25 finishes with 17.

John Baranco recorded a career-best finish at the Wolf Pack Classic when he tied for second place with a 5-under 211. He also recorded his season-low round of 68 (-4) in the second round of the Baranco has posted three top 25 finishes this season to average 72.6 strokes per round.

Shawn Tonkin will be playing in his second tournament of the fall. He posted a 227 (+14) at the Shootout in Angel Park as he tied for 62nd.

Tyler McDougall is scheduled to play in his third fall tournament. He is averaging 78.3 strokes per round and recorded a season-low 76 (+4) in the final round of the Santa Clara Invitational.

--www.broncosports.com--

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