Lopes surge, tie for 2nd on final day of GCU Invitational

Monday, March 13

Phoenix, Ariz.

Grand Canyon

GCU Invitational

Lopes surge, tie for 2nd on final day of GCU Invitational

3/13/2023 7:56:00 PM | Men's Golf

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GCU climbs 3 spots with final-round team score of 12 under

By: Nick Macdonald

The Grand Canyon men's golf team surged within a stroke of the GCU Invitational lead after carding a team score of 12 under par in Tuesday's final round at GCU Golf Course, landing in a second-place tie with North Dakota State at 16 under par with 29th-ranked TCU at 17 under par.

"Really happy with the guys and how they came back today," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "It was a true testament to them and how they played with a lot of pride on their home course in front of their friends and family. To come out Tuesday and shoot 12 under for the lowest score of the day was a lot of fun to watch. I think this will give the team a lot of confidence moving forward."

The Lopes jumped three spots from fifth place to second place after Monday's 4-under-par finish. Of the five players counting toward the team score, GCU recorded 24 birdies Tuesday and 68 for the tournament, five better than the next highest team (North Dakota State). The Lopes finished with the best par-3 average score of 3.18, third-best par 4 score of 4.03 and second-best par 5 score of 4.49.

GCU sophomore Sam Murphy, an individual entry, placed best for the Lopes in fourth at 9 under par. Murphy had eight birdies, including four over his final eight holes. Murphy carded rounds of 70, 68 and 66, with Tuesday's 66 being the second-lowest score of the tournament for the Lopes.

"Very happy with our one through seven, as it was a lot of fun to watch," Mueller said. "Today, they made a lot of birdies and I give credit to TCU. They played well, and we came just a shot short. But today was fun and we will get back to work and keep improving."

Lopes junior Nicky Kling finished seventh at 7 under par, shooting rounds of 65, 74 and 67 with six birdies on Tuesday. Kling's first-round 65 was a team best and tied for second lowest among any round in the 88-player field.

Senior Matthew Braley and junior Tommaso Zorzetto also earned top-10 finishes for GCU, with Braley finishing ninth (4 under) and Zorzetto 10th (3 under). Braley's first six holes included two birdies, two pars and two bogeys before finishing his round with five birdies, including four in a row from holes 14-17. Zorzetto had five birdies and gained five spots to crack the top 10 to put GCU as the only team with three or more players in the top 10.

Rounding out the GCU group was sophomore Josh McCabe (tied for 24th, 1 over) and junior Craig Passmore (tied for 46th, 6 over). The duo combined for six birdies in the final round. Lopes freshman Aaron Williams also competed as an individual and tied for 57th at 9 over.

"It was unfortunate to lose by one, but that type of result should fire us up," GCU assistant coach Mike Schaloum said. "We need to continue to work on our weaknesses in order to beat a team as good as TCU. That said, these guys have been working really hard all offseason and a day like today shows that their efforts are paying off. Having a leader like Matthew Braley, who gives his best no matter the circumstances, sets the tone for the rest of the team. We're very proud of this squad and their resiliency."

GCU returns to action March 27 at the Duck Invitational at the Eugene (Oregon) Country Club.

Day 1 recap

The Grand Canyon men's golf team completed day one of the two-day GCU Invitational on its home site of GCU Golf Course, carding a team score of -4 for fifth place after 36 holes.

No. 29 TCU leads the tournament at -18, followed by North Dakota State at -16 and Cal State Fullerton at -7. The Lopes trail fourth-place Kansas City by one stroke.

GCU fielded seven golfers in total, five of which counted toward its team score. Leading the team was Sam Murphy, who shot 4 under par for eighth place as an individualist. Murphy totaled eight birdies with four in each round played.

Kling placed T-9th at -3, shooting a first round 65 as he was tied for first place after the first 18 holes. Kling began on hole number two on the day and found his rhythm in the back nine, recording five birdies between holes 10-18. He shot a second round 74 and birdied his second to last hole to go into the final round with a top-10 placement.

Zorzetto is behind Kling in a tie for 15th at 1 under. Zorzetto tallied nine birdies for the day with five in the second round. Braley concluded the day at even par in a tie for 19th with eight birdies.

Rounding out the five were Passmore (T-27th/+1) and McCabe (T-38th/+3). Williams also competed as an individualist and placed T-60th at 7 over.

GCU leads all teams with a 3.23 par 3 scoring average while it's second among the 16-team field with 44 birdies.

The third and final round begins tomorrow morning with a shotgun start at 7:45 AM.