CORNING — The Stanislaus State men's golf team earned its first tournament win of the 2021-22 season, and first in more than a year and a half, grabbing the team title at the Wildcat Classic with a two-round total score of 597 at the Links at Rolling Hills.
The tournament was shortened to two rounds instead of the originally scheduled three because of high winds on both Monday and Tuesday. Monday's sustained winds of 20+ mph and gusts over 30 mph forced the cancelation of round two in the afternoon. Stanislaus State was leading by four strokes after Monday's single round, shooting a 21-over 309. They expanded their lead Tuesday en route to the title, placing three golfers among the top-four while shooting an even-par 288 as a team.
Brad Sparrer (+3) and
Chris Ebster (+4) gave the Warriors two individuals in the top-three with second and third-place finishes, respectively. Sparrer tied with three other players for the best round of the day Tuesday, posting a 2-under 70 to climb five spots on the leaderboard and finish second. That was a seven-stroke improvement from his 5-over 77 on Monday in the high winds. Ebster was steady with a 3-over 75 on Monday and a 1-over 73 Tuesday to finish third.
Freshman
Armaan Sahota tied for fourth in only his second collegiate tournament thanks to a 10-stroke improvement from Monday to Tuesday. He shot an 8-over 80 on Monday, but came back Tuesday with a 2-under 70, climbing 14 spots on the leaderboard with that 10-stroke improvement. His second round included seven birdies, five in his first nine holes alone.
Michael Jura finished tied for 11th after shooting 77-75—152 (+8).
Tim Sauer placed 46th with a 20-over two-round total of 164.
Stanislaus State won its last tournament of the 2019-20 season before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the spring schedule prematurely and also wiped out the 2020-21 competition year. The Warriors won Cal State San Bernardino's Coyote Classic in Riverside at the Canyon Crest Country Club on Feb. 17-18, 2020. Current Warriors Sparrer (6th) and
Chris Ebster (18th) both placed for the team in that tournament.
The Warriors complete their fall schedule next week with the Otter Invitational in Seaside at the Bayonet Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday. Fans can find live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.
