Record score earns GCU's best regular-season win

Monday, October 16

Stockton, Calif. | The Reserve at Spanos Park

Grand Canyon

Visit Stockton Invitational

10/18/2023 5:08:00 PM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro

RESULTS

Lopes pull away from Stockton tourney's field with 3 in top 9, 14-under final round

By: Paul Coro

STOCKTON, Calif. – After playing two of its best rounds to share the lead entering the Visit Stockton Invitational final round, the Grand Canyon men's golf team knew it would take more of the same Wednesday to repeat as winners.

The Lopes played the tournament's best round by any team Wednesday and took down a field with three top-60 programs for GCU's best regular-season victory ever. The Lopes recorded a program-record, three-round score of 827 (37 under par) to finish eight strokes ahead of No. 41 Loyola Marymount and nine strokes ahead of Utah and Washington State.

"I told the guys yesterday and this morning that even par wasn't going to win, and they had to go get it," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "They not only went out and got it, but they won the tournament. Unbelievable.

"It was a complete team effort. Everyone pitched in. For everyone to do what they did today, you can't really ask for much more."

Lopes seniors Tommaso Zorzetto (tied for fourth), Nicky Kling (tied for sixth) and Matthew Pennington (tied for sixth) finished among the 99-player field's top nine, and freshman teammate Gavin O'Neill carded a tournament-best 69 to pull away in the 17-team field.

"I am really happy for what we did as a team," Zorzetto said. "We all played well. It means a lot to me, the team and the coaches. Doing it back to back is special, and the field was good so we're really happy for this one. The coaches inspired us, and the course suits the way we play the game, and we got it done."

Zorzetto entered Wednesday in a tie for the individual lead after a pair of 6-under rounds. The Padova, Italy, native moved to 14 under with birdies on the first and sixth holes Wednesday to lead a crowded leaderboard. He returned to 14 under with a 16th-hole birdie before closing with two bogeys to finish two strokes behind Cal State Fullerton medalist Tegan Andrews.

"It shows how much I worked in the last year, so I'm really proud of myself," Zorzetto said. "I came up just a little short to the end goal, which was also winning as an individual. I think it's a good thing. I'm hungry for a win. I'm going to work harder and hopefully I'll get one soon."

The Lopes repeated as Visit Stockton Invitational champions with only Kling returning to this season's event lineup and shot 15 strokes better, albeit at a different course (The Reserve at Spanos Park).

Kling was clutch Tuesday, starting hot with birdies on three of his first six holes. He ran into trouble with 12th- and 14th-hole bogeys before a momentum-shifting birdie on No. 15 that started his string of three consecutive birdies.

"He had about 45 feet for birdie with this huge downhill slider, and he made it," Mueller said of the Scottsdale Chaparral High School graduate. "I was like, 'That just really changed things.' "

Kling matched his best round of the tournament with a 4-under 68, but Pennington tied for the entire field's third-best round of the tournament with a 7-under 65 on Tuesday.

Pennington, a Division II regional champion who transferred from Cal State San Marcos, eagled No. 6 and played the final 14 holes at 6 under to surge into a sixth-place tie with Kling. Pennington also held the tourney's best par-3 scoring average at 2.75.

The team aspect of the win showed in the Wednesday play of GCU freshman Gavin O'Neill. In his third collegiate tournament, the Irishman shot his tournament best with a 3-under round of 69 that included consecutive birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.

"No. 17 is probably one of the toughest holes we'll play all year," Mueller said. "For him to birdie 17, I was like, 'Holy cow.' That's bigtime for a freshman to do."

Lopes senior Warner Beach and sophomore Antonio Bulgheroni tied for 70th place after each shooting 7 over on Tuesday.

Coming off GCU's best-ever win in the regular season, the Lopes will close their fall schedule in Hawaii when the Kapolei Classic begins Oct. 31.