The top-ranked University of Redlands men's golf team attacked the opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament of the year at Sierra Lakes Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday, soaring past the competition with a conference- and school-record showing. After an outstanding two-round performance, Redlands pulled away from the pack with a commanding win by 21 strokes.
Finishing 16-under par, the Maroon and Gray posted combined scores of 281 and 279, both of which landed the Bulldogs in front of the competition after each round. These phenomenal tallies also bested the previous conference record for 36-hole scoring, according to Head Coach Butch Edge.
Furthermore, with the weekend's showing, the Bulldogs now have posted five consecutive rounds with a total-team score under par, dating back to the Cal State San Marcos Fall Classic.
Senior Jeremy Gomberg (Mountain View, CA) led the impressive performance by breaking multiple school and SCIAC records en route to medalist honors. With scores of 69 and 65, he established new marks for a 36-hole tally as well as Redlands' single-round standard. Finally, he shot a personal best by five strokes.
Throughout the weekend, Gomberg led the field in par-four scoring with an average mark of 3.65, shooting minus-seven on those holes. He accumulated a tournament-best 15 birdies and scored par on 16 holes during the event.
In addition to Gomberg's first-place finish, Redlands gained an outstanding effort from junior Bobby Holden (Simi Valley, CA), who followed closely in second place by posting a two-round total of 138 (69-69). Holden finished the event with a par-three score of 2.88, which tied him for second among the field. He also recorded an eagle and seven birdies during the tournament.
All five of the Maroon and Grays participants landed among the top-20 finishers of the tournament. While tying with Holden on par-three scoring, senior Nick Johnson (La Jolla, CA) also tied for seventh overall at two-over (73-73). Senior Mike Caston Jr. (Escondido, CA) came into the club house with a plus-five 149 (77-72) to tie for 16th overall. Finally, sophomore John McCord (Oakland, CA) rounded out the Bulldogs' contributors with his score of 150 (70-80).
Redlands returns to action on Mon., Feb. 24, and Tues., Feb. 25, when it travels to Arrowhead Country Club to compete in the Cal State University San Bernardino Coyote Classic.
