EL MACERO, Calif. – UC San Diego men's golf freshman
Francis Catalano shot a five-under par 67 to pace the Tritons in the final round of the three-day El Macero Classic on Friday at El Macero Country Club. Catalano's stellar round propelled him into a third place tie at six under, with a three-round score of 210.
The Tritons fired their best round of the tournament – a three-under par 285 as a team in the third round to finish in 12th place overall, one stroke behind 11th-place Grand Canyon. Fresno State won the El Macero Classic with a seven-under par 857. UC San Diego finished its spring with an 11-over 875.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started on the back nine, teeing off at 9:30 Redshirt freshman
Davis McDowell birdied the par four 10th to start the day off right. On the par five 15th hole, UC San Diego got birdies from McDowell, Catalano and junior
Elliot Bunyaviroch to build momentum. Senior
Ryan Vaughan shot birdies on both 17 and 18 to reach the halfway mark at an even 36. Both McDowell and Catalano were two under par through nine holes.
After making the turn, Catalano continued his stellar play with birdies on a pair of par fives (second and fifth hole). He added another birdie on the par four fourth. In all, he shot par or better on all 18 holes. Sophomore
Davis Lee also birdied the fifth and sixth holes.
UC SAN DIEGO RESULTS (final)
T3.
Francis Catalano, -6 (71-72-67)
T25.
Davis McDowell, +2 (75-71-72)
T44.
Elliot Bunyaviroch, +6 (77-73-72)
T70.
Ryan Vaughan, +12 (79-75-74)
T78.
Davis Lee, +17, (76-79-78)
QUOTABLE
"I can't say enough about the progress Francis has made," UC San Diego head coach
Fred Hanover said. "He's come such a long way this season. The entire group has. In some sense, it's a shame the season has come to an end. We were just starting to put things together find our stride as a Division I program."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Catalano's five-under par 67 on Friday tied Seattle U's Harrison Murphy for the lowest score of the round.
- UC San Diego's -3 in the final round was the second-lowest team score in the 14-team field.
- The Tritons birdied 14 holes as a team for the third consecutive day, five of which came from Catalano.
- UC San Diego topped fellow Big West member Cal State Fullerton by one stroke and finished just two strokes behind Cal Poly for 10th place.
UP NEXT
The El Macero Classic was the final tournament of the spring for the Tritons.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
