The No. 28 University of Redlands men's golf team kicked off the spring season on Monday and Tuesday by competing in the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational. While sitting in 10th after two rounds, the Bulldogs put together their best 18 holes on Tuesday to move up to ninth place among a quality field primarily composed of NCAA Division II foes.  As a team, Redlands scored a 54-hole total of 935 (313-320-302) with 57 pars and eight birdies at the tournament.

Leading the Maroon and Gray, freshman Dylan Merchant (Ellsworth, WI) fired off consistent rounds of 78-76-77 to finish tied for 24th in the individual standings.

After shooting a 76 in the opening round, sophomore Alex Stroes (San Marcos, CA) battled through a tough 18 holes before putting up his best round on Tuesday to finish in 33rd place with a score of 233 (76-83-74).  He posted 14 pars to lead the Bulldogs.

Freshman Carter Tillotson (Kenmore, WA) topped the charts for all competitors in par-three scoring by notching an average of 2.50.  He also impressed on the par-five holes, with a minus-one score over the 54 holes.  While shaving eight strokes off his second-round score, he finished tied-for-39th with a total of 236 (80-82-74).

Finally, sophomore Rowan Foxley (Arlington, WA) and junior George Galanis (Glencoe, IL) completed the Bulldogs' lineup with respective totals of 239 (79-79-81) and 246 (82-87-77).

Redlands jumps into Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Saturday, February 18, and Sunday, February 19, when it takes on all conference foes in a 54-hole tournament at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena.