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
Monday, September 9
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes | Maricopa, Ariz.
Grand Canyon
vs
Southern Dunes Invitational
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Youth fuels fantastic start to GCU's season
9/10/2024 4:05:00 PM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro
Lauritzen's record round, O'Neill's steady play help Lopes take 2nd to USC in Maricopa
MARICOPA, Ariz. – A freshman golfer tied a Grand Canyon record in his first round.
The Lopes team matched or outplayed USC in two of three rounds.
Six GCU players shot below par in triple-digit conditions.
The Lopes men's golf team opened the season Monday and Tuesday with the sort of optimism-building performance that will send them to the rest of the season with confidence.
GCU took second place to USC's 28-under-par finish at the Southern Dunes Invitational, shooting the tournament's best team final round of 10 under par to finish at 21 under par. That put the Lopes well ahead of third-place Fresno State (10 under) and fourth-place San Diego (9 under).
In the process, GCU freshman Nixon Lauritzen took third place individually on the strength of tying the program's low-round record with a 9-under 63 in his Monday debut. He finished 8 under for the tournament to be one stroke off second and five strokes behind medalist Chris Bettencourt of Fresno State.
Lopes sophomore Gavin O'Neill pulled up behind him with three below-par rounds to tie for fourth place at 6 under.
"It was a lot of fun," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "The guys played really well. I was really proud of their effort today. We struggled in the afternoon yesterday a little bit, but today they really bounced back and did a great job, so I was really proud of that. From top to bottom, they really competed."
Lauritzen, who is from Canyon Lakes, California, used deep drives and sharp irons to keep putts short in a zoned-in, bogey-free first round. Lauritzen birdied nine holes, so often that he lost track of his first-round score Monday when O'Neill inquired how he was playing during the back nine.
When he birdied his final hole of the first round, Lauritzen thought he had finished at 7 under. Then, he counted nine circles on his scorecard. The 9-under round matched the GCU all-time record (John Davis, 1999-2001) and set the program's Division I-era record.
"I just went hole by hole and, to be honest, I lost track," Lauritzen said. "I didn't know I was that deep. I made sure I hit fairways and greens. It was going my way. I almost made all the putts that were given to me."
Lauritzen's commitment to GCU followed one from fellow freshman Matthew Diehl with the two becoming friends on the junior golf circuit. Diehl, who is from Redlands, California, ended his first college tournament with a 4-under 68 on Tuesday to rise into a tie for 12th place, which he shared with sophomore teammate and individual entry Antonio Bulgheroni.
Diehl entered GCU after a summer in which he reached the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship quarterfinals and shot a career-best round of 8 under in his final junior tournament.
"Everybody in the country knew how good he was and believed he could do something special, but we also had very high hopes for Nixon because of how well he hits it and how far he hits it," GCU assistant coach Mike Schaloum said of the California freshman duo. "For them to come in and play the way they did, it's not super surprising. They still have some room to grow, so that's nice."
Diehl was as scorching as the weather Tuesday to close the tournament, dropping six birdies over his final 10 holes.
"Having the coaches there to help out was awesome," Diehl said. "Being in a team environment and not really focusing on yourself gives you that extra motivation to keep up with the team and count for a score if you're not playing well."
The Lopes played so well that they did not count Lauritzen's final-round 72 with the other four lineup players going below par Tuesday. In his GCU debut, graduate Kiko Coelho also delivered a 4-under 68 to lift his tournament tally to 2 under for a 17th-place tie. The Arizona State transfer led the Southern Dunes Invitational in par-3 scoring at 2 under.
O'Neill perhaps had the steadiest tournament, reflecting a freshman season in which he was made every tournament lineup for WAC champion GCU. The Irishman adjusted to Arizona over that year and switched putters over the summer to capitalize on his ball-striking ability.
"Gavin worked so hard," Mueller said. "He's the ultimate competitor. He really loves golf and competing, so it's a lot of fun to see what he's doing."
O'Neill played a 2-under back nine Tuesday without a bogey to rise into a fourth-place tie.
"I made some improvements while I was here last year, and the coaches helped me a lot," O'Neill said "I'm starting to hit my stride now. I'm getting really confident in my game, and the putts are starting to drop."
GCU senior Josh McCable, also playing as an individual entry, tied for 21st at 1 under on the strength of his opening-round 68.
Graduate Tommaso Zorzetto factored into the GCU finish with round-by-round improvement that culminated in a 1-under final round to get to 5 over. Junior Sam Murphy and freshman Campbell Kerr, also individual entries for the tournament south of Phoenix, each finished at 12 over.
"It's a great start to the season," Mueller said. "There's a lot to build on, and everybody got to play."
GCU stays close to home next week for Arizona State's Papago Individual Tournament, which starts Monday at Papago Golf Couse in Phoenix.
The Lopes team matched or outplayed USC in two of three rounds.
Six GCU players shot below par in triple-digit conditions.
The Lopes men's golf team opened the season Monday and Tuesday with the sort of optimism-building performance that will send them to the rest of the season with confidence.
GCU took second place to USC's 28-under-par finish at the Southern Dunes Invitational, shooting the tournament's best team final round of 10 under par to finish at 21 under par. That put the Lopes well ahead of third-place Fresno State (10 under) and fourth-place San Diego (9 under).In the process, GCU freshman Nixon Lauritzen took third place individually on the strength of tying the program's low-round record with a 9-under 63 in his Monday debut. He finished 8 under for the tournament to be one stroke off second and five strokes behind medalist Chris Bettencourt of Fresno State.
Lopes sophomore Gavin O'Neill pulled up behind him with three below-par rounds to tie for fourth place at 6 under.
"It was a lot of fun," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "The guys played really well. I was really proud of their effort today. We struggled in the afternoon yesterday a little bit, but today they really bounced back and did a great job, so I was really proud of that. From top to bottom, they really competed."Lauritzen, who is from Canyon Lakes, California, used deep drives and sharp irons to keep putts short in a zoned-in, bogey-free first round. Lauritzen birdied nine holes, so often that he lost track of his first-round score Monday when O'Neill inquired how he was playing during the back nine.
When he birdied his final hole of the first round, Lauritzen thought he had finished at 7 under. Then, he counted nine circles on his scorecard. The 9-under round matched the GCU all-time record (John Davis, 1999-2001) and set the program's Division I-era record.
"I just went hole by hole and, to be honest, I lost track," Lauritzen said. "I didn't know I was that deep. I made sure I hit fairways and greens. It was going my way. I almost made all the putts that were given to me."
Lauritzen's commitment to GCU followed one from fellow freshman Matthew Diehl with the two becoming friends on the junior golf circuit. Diehl, who is from Redlands, California, ended his first college tournament with a 4-under 68 on Tuesday to rise into a tie for 12th place, which he shared with sophomore teammate and individual entry Antonio Bulgheroni.
Diehl entered GCU after a summer in which he reached the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship quarterfinals and shot a career-best round of 8 under in his final junior tournament."Everybody in the country knew how good he was and believed he could do something special, but we also had very high hopes for Nixon because of how well he hits it and how far he hits it," GCU assistant coach Mike Schaloum said of the California freshman duo. "For them to come in and play the way they did, it's not super surprising. They still have some room to grow, so that's nice."
Diehl was as scorching as the weather Tuesday to close the tournament, dropping six birdies over his final 10 holes.
"Having the coaches there to help out was awesome," Diehl said. "Being in a team environment and not really focusing on yourself gives you that extra motivation to keep up with the team and count for a score if you're not playing well."
The Lopes played so well that they did not count Lauritzen's final-round 72 with the other four lineup players going below par Tuesday. In his GCU debut, graduate Kiko Coelho also delivered a 4-under 68 to lift his tournament tally to 2 under for a 17th-place tie. The Arizona State transfer led the Southern Dunes Invitational in par-3 scoring at 2 under.
O'Neill perhaps had the steadiest tournament, reflecting a freshman season in which he was made every tournament lineup for WAC champion GCU. The Irishman adjusted to Arizona over that year and switched putters over the summer to capitalize on his ball-striking ability."Gavin worked so hard," Mueller said. "He's the ultimate competitor. He really loves golf and competing, so it's a lot of fun to see what he's doing."
O'Neill played a 2-under back nine Tuesday without a bogey to rise into a fourth-place tie.
"I made some improvements while I was here last year, and the coaches helped me a lot," O'Neill said "I'm starting to hit my stride now. I'm getting really confident in my game, and the putts are starting to drop."
GCU senior Josh McCable, also playing as an individual entry, tied for 21st at 1 under on the strength of his opening-round 68.
Graduate Tommaso Zorzetto factored into the GCU finish with round-by-round improvement that culminated in a 1-under final round to get to 5 over. Junior Sam Murphy and freshman Campbell Kerr, also individual entries for the tournament south of Phoenix, each finished at 12 over.
"It's a great start to the season," Mueller said. "There's a lot to build on, and everybody got to play."
GCU stays close to home next week for Arizona State's Papago Individual Tournament, which starts Monday at Papago Golf Couse in Phoenix.
Players Mentioned
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