By Nick Austin – Senior Staff Writer | Senior Zubair Firdaus lining up a putt. (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
The Spartans competed close to home this week as they took part in the 78th annual Western Intercollegiate Presented by Titleist, which took place at the Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz.
Fourteen schools competed in the three-day event, and day one saw the Spartans end tied for last place with the University of Hawaii.
“We’ve got to figure out how to be more present so we can take advantage of our local knowledge, instead of getting caught up in things that aren’t real,” men’s golf head coach John Kennaday said after the first day.
The leaders for the Spartans after day one were junior Alaric Mercie De Soultrait with a 71 (+1) as he competed as an individual. Senior Zubair Firdaus and junior Ivan Barahona tied for the team lead with a 72 (+2).
Day two saw the team move up slightly to 12th place as a team.
Sophomore Keshav “KC” Mungali posted four birdies on the day and shot a 69 (-1) for the day. After the second day, Mungali sat in 29th place individually.
Soultrait matched Mungali’s two-day score as both were tied for 29th place.
“Much more proud of the way we played today, the guys stepped up a bit,” Kennaday said after day two of the tournament.
Day three saw Barahona shine again as he posted an even par for the day and finished the tournament in 22nd place overall.
The Spartans as a team moved up a spot and finished the tournament in 11th place (+44). This was aided by five Spartans each recording three birdies on their respective final rounds
Mungali and Soultrait ended the tournament tied for 36th place as they both finished with a 215 (+6).
The Spartans will next take part in the Mountain West Conference Championships on April 25-27 at the Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Oregon.
