PALM DESERT, Calif. – The University of Wyoming men's golf team finished ninth in an elite field of 23 teams as the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate wrapped up on Sunday, firing a final-round 292 (+4) to finish with a 54-hole score of 873 (+9). Senior Quintin Pope ended his steady tournament with a third-round 70 (-2), finishing as the top player in the Cowboy lineup as he tied for 18th place with a tournament score of 213 (-3). Individual Dan Starzinski also grabbed a share of 18th place in the field of 135 players.
"Overall, it was a really great event," UW director of golf and men's head coach Joe Jensen said Sunday. "It was a large and talented field. We did a lot of good things and found areas where we can improve. We didn't play the difficult holes well but that's to be expected early in the year. I'm pleased with a top 10 finish in a really tough field."
Pope, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., was a model of consistency throughout the three-day tournament at Classic Club in Palm Desert. He trimmed one stroke off his score each day, using three final-round birdies to tie his second-best round of the season. Junior John Murdock tied for 33rd place, posting a final-round 73 (+1) to end the tournament with a 54-hole score of 216 (E). Senior Glenn Workman tied for 53rd place, shooting 75 (+3) on the final day of competition. Senior Drew McCullough was next for the Pokes after a 74 (+2) on Sunday, recording a three-day total of 224 (+8). Fellow senior Arron Lickteig rounded out the Cowboy lineup by taking a share of 83rd with a score of 225 (+9).
Starzinski struggled on Sunday after two sub-70 rounds during the first two days of the tournament, posting an 80 (+8) on the final day. However, the tie for 18th place was the best finish of his career and his score of 213 (-3) marked the best 54-hole score of his career by 12 strokes. Fellow individual Carl Underwood tied for 71st place, matching Starzinski's final-round 80 (+8) to finish at 224 (+8).
The No. 19 California Bears ran away with the tournament win in the stacked field, smashing the team tournament score record of 817 (-47) after a 268 (-20) on Sunday. Two California players, Collin Morikawa and Sebastian Crampton finished in a four-way tie for first place on the individual leaderboard along with Texas Tech's Fredrik Nilehn and Oklahoma State individual Austin Eckroat. Each of the four players finished with a score of 202 (-14), all breaking the previous Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate individual score record of 203 (-13) set by TCU's Julien Brun in 2014. No. 9 Texas Tech finished second at 837 (-27), while Colorado was third at 845 (-19). No. 21 UCLA was fourth with a score of 848 (-16), while No. 36 Kansas finished fifth with an even score of 864. No. 39 TCU placed sixth, totaling 866 (+2).
Wyoming will be back in action on Feb. 25-26 in Tucson, Ariz., at the Arizona NIT. Follow along with the Cowboy golfers at @wyo_golf on twitter.
