Zorzetto claims 2nd, GCU ties for 2nd at El Macero Classic

Friday, April 12

Davis, Calif. | El Macero Country Club

Grand Canyon

El Macero Classic

Zorzetto claims 2nd, GCU ties for 2nd at El Macero Classic

4/14/2024 5:25:00 PM | Men's Golf

RESULTS

Lopes senior cards 4-under Sunday for 3rd top-4 finish of season

By: Nick Macdonald

EL MACERO, Calif. – The Grand Canyon men's golf team ended the regular season on a high note, putting all five of its golfers in the top 40 of the El Macero Classic's 104-player field to tie for second place among 18 teams.

GCU shot 22 over par for the tournament with a 2-over Sunday and finished seven shots back of first-place Saint Mary's. It finished one place higher than California Baptist and eight spots ahead of Seattle U, the other WAC teams at El Macero Country Club. The WAC Championship is next up for the Lopes, who have a 123-41-3 record this season.

The Lopes registered 14 third-round birdies, the most for the group in the tournament. Leading the charge with five birdies was senior Tommaso Zorzetto, who carded a 4-under final round after entering Sunday at even par. His effort of five birdies and only one bogey led him to second place out of 104 golfers.

Zorzetto, who won the GCU Invitational last month, shot 3 under on the front nine and made two birdies over the final four holes. He shot rounds of 71, 73 and 68 this weekend and was one of six golfers with a sub-70 score for the weekend.

Lopes freshman Gavin O'Neill carded a 2-over final round and finished tied for 29th at 9 over. He had two birdies on the back nine to shoot 1 over on his final nine holes. Senior Nicky Kling and junior Josh McCabe each tied for 36th at 11 over, with both Lopes going 3 over Sunday. McCabe had three birdies and was bogey free over his final 12 holes, while Kling had two birdies through his first five holes.

GCU senior Matthew Pennington finished one spot back of Kling and McCabe at 12 over with a 1-over final round. He had two birdies Sunday and shot 10 consecutive pars to close the tournament.

The top-three finish is the sixth of the season for GCU, which has placed in the top three in four of its six tournaments this spring. The Lopes enter the WAC Championship in Payson, Arizona, with Scoreboard Clippd ranking them at No. 68, their highest spot in program history and the highest ranking among WAC schools. The Lopes will look to continue its momentum into Payson and seek back-to-back conference championships after earning the program's first last season in Boulder City, Nevada.