Men?s Golf In The Desert For Thunderbird
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men’s golf team returns to action this weekend when they compete at the 43rd Annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.
FIELD (14): Oregon State, Arizona State, Arizona, Baylor, UC Davis, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nevada, Pepperdine, San Diego State, San Diego, Washington State and Wyoming.
COURSE: The tournament will be held at the par-70, 6,971-yard ASU Karsten Golf Club.
BEAVERS’ LINEUP: Oregon State will go with a lineup of seniors Alex Franklin and Scott Kim, juniors Brian Jung and Chris Tedesco, and sophomore Kevin Murphy.
FORMAT: Two-day, 54-hole tournament with 36 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday. The top-four individuals from each five-member team with the lowest scores for each 18-hole round constitute the scoring members for that given round.
TEE TIMES: There will be a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. on Friday with continuous play and a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. for Saturday’s final round.
LIVE SCORING: Live scoring is available at golfstat.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow the Oregon State men’s golf team on Twitter and Facebook.
LAST TIME OUT: Oregon State wrapped up a soggy Duck Invitational in fifth place last week behind strong final rounds by Alex Franklin and Brian Jung.
The Beavers concluded the two-day, 54-hole tournament with a 21-over 298-297-290--885 at the par-72, 7,020-yard Eugene Country Club to finish fifth in the 16-team field after winning the event a year ago. Pac-12 teams held down three of the top four spots, led by Arizona State’s 1-under 863.
Franklin had five birdies in the final round to vault 23 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 19th place with a 5-over 76-76-69--221. Jung also finished in a tie for 19th after closing with a 2-under 70 that helped him climb 18 positions with a 5-over 74-77-70--221.
Kevin Murphy, who was tied for second place through 36 holes, finished in a tie for 11th, the highest among Oregon State golfers, with a 3-over 72-71-76--219. He had 10 birdies over the three rounds to equal the third most in the 83-player field.
Chris Tedesco finished in a tie for 33rd place with a 9-over 76-73-76--225 and Conner Kumpula concluded play with a 13-over 76-78-75--229 for a tie for 52nd place.
Scott Kim, who competed as an individual, also played well in the final round to finish in a tie for 33rd place with a 9-over 79-74-72--225.
Arizona State’s Jon Rahm continued his strong play by claiming medalist honors with a 4-under 212, one stroke better than his teammate Max Rottluff, who shot a 3-under 213.
LAST TIME AT THE ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL: Oregon State didn’t compete at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational last year, but had a memorable trip two years ago. The release after the final round on April 7, 2013:
Nick Chianello led the three-day, 54-hole ASU Thunderbird Invitational wire-to-wire to become the first Oregon State men’s golfer to win an individual title outright since 2009 after shooting one of the best three-round scores in school history.
After opening the tournament with a 7-under 64 at the par-71, 7,026-yard ASU Karsten Golf Course, Chianello carded two sub-par rounds over the weekend to win the tournament by a stroke with an 11-under 64-68-70--202. Scott Fernandez of Iowa State and California’s Brandon Hagy tied for second with a 10-under 203.
“I’m really excited for Nick,” Oregon State head coach Jon Reehoorn said. “The up and down he converted on the last hole to win the tournament was not easy, and he made it look easy. His short game was key on the back nine as he wasn’t hitting it his best. But he made one putt after another. That is what it takes to win.”
Oregon State entered Sunday’s final round in a tie for second place but was unable to find the magic it had on Saturday, as the Beavers finished sixth in the 18-team field with a 1-over 284-280-289--853. UNLV shot the best score on Sunday to come from behind and claim the team title with a 9-under 843, while California (8-under 844) finished second, San Diego (5-under 847), was third, New Mexico (2-under 850) came in fourth and San Diego State (even-par 852) was a stroke better than OSU for fifth.
“Finishing the way we did leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but there are so many positives to take from this week,” Reehoorn said. “We need to build on the positives but be able to face a few realities if we are going to keep getting better. Most of all, though, hopefully the guys know we are good enough to compete with anyone.”
The three-round score of 202 equals Chianello with Vincent Johnson for the lowest in Oregon State history. Chianello finished at 11-under as he posted his score on a par-71 course, while Johnson was 14-under on a par-72 course at the Northwest Collegiate Classic in 2005.
Oregon State All-Time Low Individual Three-Round Scores
202 (-14) -- Vincent Johnson (Northwest Collegiate Classic, Fall 2005)
202 (-11) -- Nick Chianello (ASU Thunderbird Invitational, Spring 2013)
203 (-13) -- Jonathan Green (Northwest Collegiate Classic, Fall 2004)
204 (-12) -- James Allenby (NCAA West Regional, Spring 2007)
205 (-11) -- Brian Jung (Mark Simpson Invitational, Fall 2012)
205 (-11) -- Vincent Johnson (Giustina Memorial Classic, Fall 2007)
Chianello’s win is the 45th outright title in school history and the first by an Oregon State golfer since Diego Velasquez won the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in October 2009. Alex Moore shared medalist honors at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships but lost on the seventh hole in a sudden-death playoff to Martin Trainer of USC.
Oregon State Men’s Golf All-Time Individual Tournament Wins
Year -- Winner -- Score -- Tournament -- Golf Course
1946 -- Ken Roberts -- 142 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1949 -- Dick Yost -- 138 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1950 -- Dick Yost -- 140 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1954 -- Bob Connelly -- 142 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1955 -- Jerry Cloninger -- 135 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1956 -- Ray Lindquist -- 150 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1966 -- Lloyd West -- 281 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1969 -- Bob Allard -- 293 -- Northern Division Championships -- N/A
1969 -- Bob Allard -- 289 (+1) -- Pac-8 Championships -- Rainier CC
1971 -- Scott Masingill -- 292 (+4) -- Pac-8 Championships -- Eugene CC
1973 -- Tom Egge -- 217 -- OSU Invitational -- Tokatee CC
1973 -- Dave Molitor -- 206 -- Northern Div. Championships -- Clarkston GC
1975 -- Dave Molitor -- 143 (E) -- Viking Golf Classic -- Bellingham CC
1982 -- Chuck Chappel -- 214 (+1) -- OSU Spring Invitational -- Corvallis CC
1982 -- Sean Arey -- 142 (E) -- Pacific Northwest Invitational -- Yakima CC
1985 -- Dean Claggett -- 213 (E) -- OSU Invitational -- Corvallis CC
1988 -- Warren Vickers -- 208 (-5) -- Robertson Homes Invitational -- Woodbridge CC
1988 -- Warren Vickers -- 212 (-4) -- Idaho Invitational -- Lewiston CC
1989 -- Warren Vickers -- 208 (-5) -- Nike NW Collegiate Classic -- Trysting Tree GC
1989 -- John Damon -- 224 -- Gaucho Classic -- LaPurisma GC
1990 -- Warren Vickers -- 217 (+1) -- Black Butte Invitational -- Black Butte GC
1990 -- Ben Walter -- 209 (-7) -- Robertson Homes Invitational -- Spring Creek CC
1991 -- Warren Vickers -- 143 (+1) -- Nike NW Collegiate Classic -- Trysting Tree GC
1993 -- Kevin LaMair -- 211 (-2) -- U.S. Intercollegiate -- Stanford GC
1995 -- Birk Nelson -- 211 (-5) -- William Tucker Intercollegiate -- The Championship Course
1996 -- Marty James -- 218 (+5) -- Pilot Invitational -- Columbia-Edgewater GC
1998 -- Anthony Arvidson -- 210 (-6) -- Oregon Duck Invitational -- Emerald Valley GC
1998 -- Eric Dahm -- 212 (-4) -- Pacific Invitational -- Saddle Creek GC
1999 -- John Lepak -- 209 (-7) -- Pacific Coast Intercollegiate -- Sandpiper GC
1999 -- Anthony Arvidson -- 213 (-3) -- Northwest Classic -- Diamond Woods GC
2000 -- Kyle Hudson -- 173 (-6) -- Pilot Spring Invitational (45 holes) -- Heron Lakes/Columbia GC
2000 -- Anthony Arvidson -- 212 (-4) -- Oregon Duck Invitational -- Shadow Hills Country Club
2001 -- David Yarnes -- 142 (E) -- Cleveland Golf Classic -- North Ranch Country Club
2001 -- Sean Deacon -- 205 (-8) -- Northwest Collegiate -- Mallard Creek GC
2004 -- Jonathan Green -- 203 (-13) -- Northwest Collegiate Classic -- Trysting Tree GC
2004 -- Ryan Gilmour -- 139 (-5) -- Wolf Pack Classic -- Wolf Run GC
2005 -- Vincent Johnson -- 202 (-14) -- Northwest Collegiate Classic -- Trysting Tree GC
2006 -- Mitch Gillis -- 207 (-6) -- Wolverine Intercollegiate -- Univ. of Michigan GC
2007 -- Vincent Johnson -- 210 (-6) -- PGA Minority Championship -- PGA GC
2007 -- James Allenby -- 138 (-6) -- Husky Invitational -- Gold Mountain GC
2008 -- Alex Williams -- 142 (-1) -- NW Winter Shootout -- Langdon Farms GC
2008 -- Diego Velasquez -- 208 (-8) -- Giustina Memorial Classic -- Trysting Tree GC
2009 -- Diego Velasquez -- 210 (E) -- Western Intercollegiate -- Pasatiempo GC
2009 -- Diego Velasquez -- 206 (-10) -- Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate -- The Ridges Golf & CC
2013 -- Nick Chianello -- 202 (-11) -- ASU Thunderbird Invitational -- ASU Karsten GC
Junior David Fink and senior Nick Sherwood each posted top-20 finishes, as Fink was tied for 18th with an even-par 74-68-71--213 and Sherwood was tied for 20th with a 1-over 71-70-73--214. It’s the 10th career top-20 finish for Sherwood and eighth for Fink.
Senior Matt Rawitzer shot a 4-over 75 all three rounds to finish in a tie for 68th with a 12-over 150, while sophomore Scott Kim was a stroke back with a 13-over 76-74-76--226 for a tie for 76th.
