Completed Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Invitational on September 19, 2025 , , 7th of 18
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Invitational
7th of 18
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, February 6
Palm Desert, Calif. | Classic Club Golf Course
Grand Canyon
at
Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate
Kling, GCU take runner-up finishes in Palm Desert
2/6/2024 5:40:00 PM | Men's Golf
Pair of Lopes finish among top 5 with team finishing 1 stroke off winner
PALM DESERT, Calif. – Grand Canyon posted its third top-three finish in five tournaments when it finished one stroke away from the team title at the Wyoming Desert Invitational on Thursday.
GCU, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was passed by CSU Fullerton in the third round but nearly rallied when three Lopes each finished with a birdie at Classic Club. The Lopes ended the tournament at 15 under par, one stroke back of the Titans to take second place in a 17-team field.
Two of the tournament's top four individual spots went to GCU. Senior Nicky Kling placed second at 8 under par, two strokes behind medalist Tegan Andrews of CSU Fullerton, and freshman Gavin O'Neill took g fourth place at 4 under par. The Lopes recorded a tournament-best 64 birdies over three rounds.
Lopes senior Tommaso Zorzetto carded the team's low Thursday round with a 2-under 70 that included a hot streak of five birdies over eight holes (Nos. 7-14). The effort tied him for 20th overall in a week that started with him playing in a Monday WM Phoenix Open qualifier in Scottsdale, Arizona, before traveling for Tuesday's opening round.
Kling finished with an even-par 72 on Thursday, when he birdied three par-5 holes. The Paradise Valley, Arizona, native tied for the tournament-best score on par-4 holes at 3 under. Likewise, O'Neill was the low scorer on par-3 holes at 4 under. The Irishman closed the tournament with a 1-over 73 on Thursday, when he opened and closed the tournament with birdies.
GCU junior Sam Murphy tied for 35th at 3 over following his 4-over round on Thursday and senior teammate Matthew Pennington tied for 42nd following a 5-over final round.
The Lopes entered the tournament ranked No. 103 nationally and should improve upon that after going 15-1 in the tournament, putting their overall mark at 54-24-2.
GCU will return to competition next week at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, which begins next Thursday in Lihue, Hawaii.
GCU leads by six strokes over host school Wyoming and is seven strokes above third-place Oral Roberts at the par-72 Classic Club. The Lopes' 9 under was the second-best score of the day and makes GCu the only team in the 17-team field with sub 280 scores in each round.
Lopes senior Nicky Kling caught fire on the back nine with six birdies for his round and a 5-under scorecard to lead the field at 8 under. Kling was 1 over heading into the ninth hole, and after a birdie on the ninth, rattled off five birdies over his final nine and three in his final four holes. Kling has a three-shot lead entering Thursday's final round.
GCU freshman Gavin O'Neill, who led after Tuesday's first round, is tied for second at 5 under after a 1-under second round. O'Neill birdied four on the front nine and added another on hole No. 17.
Junior teammate Sam Murphy is tied for 15th at 1 under, shooting 1 over Wednesday. Lopes senior Matthew Pennington was 2 over for the round at hole 11 and notched six pars and two birdies over the final two holes to remain even for the tournament and tied for 22nd place. GCU senior Tommaso Zorzetto, tied for 38th, bounced back from a 4-over first round with a 3-under second round, recording three birdies on the back nine.
GCU shot 4 under as a team on the front nine but stalled in the ensuing four holes with two double bogeys and two bogeys. But the Lopes remained aggressive toward the flagstick on par-3 holes and tallied four birdies par-3 17th hole. O'Neill's approach on the 176-yard hole landed within 2 feet of the cup, nearly acing the hole.
The Lopes' par-3 scoring drastically improved from day one to day two as it leads the field with a 5 under total on such holes. It also is the leader in par 5 scoring, combining to shoot 20 under on par 5's. GCU leads with 43 birdies and is one of two teams with two eagles for the tournament.
The third and final day of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate concludes Thursday morning with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
The Lopes' 9-under score is three strokes better than second-place Wyoming, the tournament host. GCU entered the tournament with the third-highest rank among the 17-team field and is one of six WAC schools competing at Classic Golf Club. The Lopes hold an eight-stroke lead over Seattle U, which is second among WAC entrants.
O'Neill had one of his best rounds since beginning his collegiate campaign in August, shooting 4 under with six birdies to take the tournament lead with two rounds remaining. With two birdies and two bogeys through his first six holes, the Irishman rattled off four birdies over his final 12 holes to lead the 102-player field.
One stroke behind him and tied for second is Kling, who shot 3 under with six birdies and four on his first nine holes. He shot 2 under with seven pars over the final eight holes to put two Lopes in prime position for the individual medal.
Another GCU player close to the top is Murphy, who is competing in his first tournament since the 2023 NCAA Regional in May. Murphy shot 2 under and is tied for 10th, tallying four birdies with two over his final five holes. Pennington is tied for 24th at even par. Despite five bogeys on his card, Pennington is the only player in the field with two eagles while also adding a birdie. Zorzetto is tied for 78th at 5 over.
While 13 teams had an even or better team score on par-5 holes, GCU was by far the best par-5 team with a 15-under total that was seven strokes better than Cal State Fullerton. The Lopes had 21 birdies, the second most among the field.
The tournament continues Wednesday with the second round's shotgun start beginning at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time).
GCU, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was passed by CSU Fullerton in the third round but nearly rallied when three Lopes each finished with a birdie at Classic Club. The Lopes ended the tournament at 15 under par, one stroke back of the Titans to take second place in a 17-team field.
Two of the tournament's top four individual spots went to GCU. Senior Nicky Kling placed second at 8 under par, two strokes behind medalist Tegan Andrews of CSU Fullerton, and freshman Gavin O'Neill took g fourth place at 4 under par. The Lopes recorded a tournament-best 64 birdies over three rounds.
Lopes senior Tommaso Zorzetto carded the team's low Thursday round with a 2-under 70 that included a hot streak of five birdies over eight holes (Nos. 7-14). The effort tied him for 20th overall in a week that started with him playing in a Monday WM Phoenix Open qualifier in Scottsdale, Arizona, before traveling for Tuesday's opening round.
Kling finished with an even-par 72 on Thursday, when he birdied three par-5 holes. The Paradise Valley, Arizona, native tied for the tournament-best score on par-4 holes at 3 under. Likewise, O'Neill was the low scorer on par-3 holes at 4 under. The Irishman closed the tournament with a 1-over 73 on Thursday, when he opened and closed the tournament with birdies.
GCU junior Sam Murphy tied for 35th at 3 over following his 4-over round on Thursday and senior teammate Matthew Pennington tied for 42nd following a 5-over final round.
The Lopes entered the tournament ranked No. 103 nationally and should improve upon that after going 15-1 in the tournament, putting their overall mark at 54-24-2.
GCU will return to competition next week at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, which begins next Thursday in Lihue, Hawaii.
Day 2 recap
After a tremendous start of 9 under par in its first round Tuesday at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, Grand Canyon mirrored the score for a 9-under second round Wednesday to maintain first place at 18 under par.GCU leads by six strokes over host school Wyoming and is seven strokes above third-place Oral Roberts at the par-72 Classic Club. The Lopes' 9 under was the second-best score of the day and makes GCu the only team in the 17-team field with sub 280 scores in each round.
Lopes senior Nicky Kling caught fire on the back nine with six birdies for his round and a 5-under scorecard to lead the field at 8 under. Kling was 1 over heading into the ninth hole, and after a birdie on the ninth, rattled off five birdies over his final nine and three in his final four holes. Kling has a three-shot lead entering Thursday's final round.
GCU freshman Gavin O'Neill, who led after Tuesday's first round, is tied for second at 5 under after a 1-under second round. O'Neill birdied four on the front nine and added another on hole No. 17.
Junior teammate Sam Murphy is tied for 15th at 1 under, shooting 1 over Wednesday. Lopes senior Matthew Pennington was 2 over for the round at hole 11 and notched six pars and two birdies over the final two holes to remain even for the tournament and tied for 22nd place. GCU senior Tommaso Zorzetto, tied for 38th, bounced back from a 4-over first round with a 3-under second round, recording three birdies on the back nine.
GCU shot 4 under as a team on the front nine but stalled in the ensuing four holes with two double bogeys and two bogeys. But the Lopes remained aggressive toward the flagstick on par-3 holes and tallied four birdies par-3 17th hole. O'Neill's approach on the 176-yard hole landed within 2 feet of the cup, nearly acing the hole.
The Lopes' par-3 scoring drastically improved from day one to day two as it leads the field with a 5 under total on such holes. It also is the leader in par 5 scoring, combining to shoot 20 under on par 5's. GCU leads with 43 birdies and is one of two teams with two eagles for the tournament.
The third and final day of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate concludes Thursday morning with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Day 1 recap
After three months between competitions, Grand Canyon stormed to a first-place performance in Tuesday's first round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, shooting 9 under par at its first spring event.The Lopes' 9-under score is three strokes better than second-place Wyoming, the tournament host. GCU entered the tournament with the third-highest rank among the 17-team field and is one of six WAC schools competing at Classic Golf Club. The Lopes hold an eight-stroke lead over Seattle U, which is second among WAC entrants.
O'Neill had one of his best rounds since beginning his collegiate campaign in August, shooting 4 under with six birdies to take the tournament lead with two rounds remaining. With two birdies and two bogeys through his first six holes, the Irishman rattled off four birdies over his final 12 holes to lead the 102-player field.
One stroke behind him and tied for second is Kling, who shot 3 under with six birdies and four on his first nine holes. He shot 2 under with seven pars over the final eight holes to put two Lopes in prime position for the individual medal.
Another GCU player close to the top is Murphy, who is competing in his first tournament since the 2023 NCAA Regional in May. Murphy shot 2 under and is tied for 10th, tallying four birdies with two over his final five holes. Pennington is tied for 24th at even par. Despite five bogeys on his card, Pennington is the only player in the field with two eagles while also adding a birdie. Zorzetto is tied for 78th at 5 over.
While 13 teams had an even or better team score on par-5 holes, GCU was by far the best par-5 team with a 15-under total that was seven strokes better than Cal State Fullerton. The Lopes had 21 birdies, the second most among the field.
The tournament continues Wednesday with the second round's shotgun start beginning at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time).
Players Mentioned
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