Lopes take 11th at El Macero Classic

Wednesday, April 20

Davis, Calif. / El Macero

Grand Canyon

El Macero Classic

4/21/2022 8:18:00 PM | Men's Golf

GCU's Braley finishes tied for 12th-place

By: Kellie Reynolds

EL MACERO, Calif. – The Grand Canyon men's golf team closed out regular-season play at the El Macero Classic. GCU finished the tournament 17 strokes behind the winner, Fresno State and just three strokes behind WAC opponent Seattle U.

The Lopes had two players finish in the top 25 at El Macero Country Club. Junior Matthew Braley was the Lopes top scorer, as he tied for 12th with a score of 3 under par to keep GCU in 11th place.

In his final round of play, Braley finished 1 under and totaled five birdies, including back-to-back ones on the fourth and fifth holes. Kansas native Jacob Lackey moved up eight spots to finish the tournament tied for 25th with a score of 2 over par. Lackey progressively got better as the classic went on, finishing a 1-under-par final round.

GCU freshman Matteo Cristoni and sophomore Craig Passmore tied for 30th and moved up three spots, as they both shot even par in their final rounds of play to finish 3 over par.

Freshman Sam Murphy made huge improvements in his final round of play as he moved up 17 places after scoring 1 under par in his final round. Sophomore Nicky Kling fell eight spots after scoring 3 over par in his last round of the El Macero Classic.

Braley enters final round in tie for 12th

GCU junior Matthew Braley is the Lopes top scorer as he is two under par and tied for 12th place. Braley had a great opening round as he finished two under par and followed with an even round in the second.

Three Lopes are tied for 33rd with a three over par score, Jacob Lackey, Matteo Cristoni, and Craig Passmore. Lackey improved from his opening round to the second as he was three strokes over after the first 18 and managed to stay even in the second round. Cristoni also improved from the first round to the second as he was two over in round one and just one in the second round. Passmore had a great first 18 holes as he was one stroke under par to start the classic and struggled in the second round as he scored four over in round two.

Sophomore Nicky Kling opened the classic with a two over par score and struggled in the second round as he finished eight over after 36-holes. Freshman Sam Murphy also struggled in his first two rounds as he is 11 over par after two rounds.

The Lopes close out the El Macero Classic on Friday April 22 at 9:30 a.m. (Phoenix time).