AUGUSTA, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's golf team earned a third-place finish at the DU Panther Invite, held Thursday through Saturday at Stoatin Brae Golf Club.
The Cardinals finished the three-round tournament at 42-over-par, recording rounds of 294 (+10), 304 (+20) and 296 (+12). SVSU finished behind tournament champion Davenport (+1) and Lewis (+39) in the 10-team, 56-player field. The Cardinal B team also competed in the event and placed seventh at 69-over.
Evan Klein (Guelph, Ontario, Bishop Macdonell HS) led the Cardinals with a sixth-place finish at seven-over-par, totaling 220 over three rounds. Klein opened with a 76 (+5) before shooting an even-par 71 in the second round and a 73 (+2) in the final round. His steady play throughout the tournament resulted in a field-best 37 pars, while he also tied for ninth in par-four scoring at 4.15 (+4).
Justin Steinman followed one stroke behind Klein, placing seventh at eight-over with a 221. Steinman began the tournament with a one-under 70, highlighted by birdies on Nos. 11 and 16. After a 78 (+7) in the second round, he bounced back with a 73 (+2) on Saturday. Steinman was especially strong on the par fives, tying for the best mark in the field at 4.58 and five-under overall. He also recorded eight birdies and an eagle during the tournament.
Tony Spicuzza (Grandville, Mich., Grandville HS) tied for ninth at 10-over with a three-round score of 223. Spicuzza carded rounds of 73 (+2), 76 (+5) and 74 (+3). He led the entire field with 10 birdies and tied for seventh in par-three scoring at 3.27 (+4). Spicuzza was also tied for sixth on the par fives at four-under.
Matthew Murdock tied for 28th at 18-over with a 231, recording rounds of 75 (+4), 79 (+8) and 77 (+6). Murdock joined Steinman atop the tournament's par-five leaderboard, playing those holes at five-under with a 4.58 scoring average. He also finished with eight birdies.
Garrett Morrison (Flushing, Mich., Flushing HS) rounded out the A team tied for 33rd at 21-over with a 234. Morrison opened with a 76 (+5), followed with an 82 (+11) and finished with another 76 (+5).
The Cardinal B team was led by Dominik Dostal (Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Bloomfield Hills HS), who tied for 16th at 13-over with a 226. Dostal improved from a 78 (+7) in the opening round to a 74 (+3) in each of the final two rounds. His opening round included an eagle on the par-five 18th, and he finished the tournament with eight birdies.
AJ Gasper tied for 19th at 15-over with rounds of 79 (+8), 70 (-1) and 79 (+8) for a 228. Ben Yono (West Bloomfield, Mich., Brother Rice HS) finished 24th at 16-over after rounds of 78 (+7), 76 (+5) and 75 (+4), while Jorge Basterra tied for 42nd at 28-over with rounds of 84 (+13), 80 (+9) and 77 (+6). Ben Liddell tied for 45th at 30-over following rounds of 82 (+11), 79 (+8) and 82 (+11).
As a team, Saginaw Valley was particularly effective on the par fives, ranking second in the field at 14-under with a 4.77 scoring average. The Cardinals also tied for third in par-three scoring at 3.45 (+34) and finished fifth on the par fours at 4.33 (+44).
SVSU's A team finished second in the tournament with 38 birdies, just one behind Davenport, and tied for fifth with 145 pars. The Cardinals also recorded one eagle during the three-round event.
Up Next: Cardinal men's golf heads to the PGA Hope Event hosted by Ohio Dominican next week. The two-day tournament takes place at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ohio.
