Sterk closes strong to boost Gauchos

LONG BEACH – Brian Hollenbeck shot a 3-under par 207 and Tyler Sterk carded a final round 4-under par 66 to lead the UCSB golf team to a fifth-place finish at the Del Walker Intercollegiate. The tournament was hosted by Long Beach State at the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach.

“I thought we played with consistency,” said head coach Steve Lass. “All-around we were very consistent. The only one who wasn’t was Tyler Sterk, and he shot our low round of the tournament.”

Twin Lakes Golf CourseIn the first and second rounds, Sterk shot 78 and 76 before recording the 66 in round three.

“His inconsistency kind of proved to be a good thing,” Lass joked.

Hollenbeck, on the other hand, was the model of consistency as he shot 1-under par 69 in all three rounds to finish with his 3-under 207. Hollenbeck tied for 13th-place among individuals.

Glen Scher tied for 17th by scoring a 2-under par 208. After shooting 69 and 72 in the first two rounds, he was on Sterk’s tail with a 3-under par 67 over the final 18.

Russell Boring was UCSB’s third finisher with a 3-over par 213, good for a 34th-place tie. Andrew Gunson and Tyler Weir tied for 38th-place with 4-over par 214s.

Sterk’s three-round total was 220.

Colorado State won the team title by shooting a combined 20-under par 1,030. The Rams finished nine shots ahead of the host 49ers, who finished in second with an 11-under par 1,039. Oregon (8-under par), Santa Clara (2-under par) and the Gauchos (2-over par) rounded out the top-five.

Long Beach’s Michael Drake shot 11-under par 199 to win the individual title. Drake finished two shots ahead of Riley Arp of Colorado State and Scott Travers of Santa Clara.

The Gauchos aren’t off long as they return to action on Monday, Oct. 26 when they travel to the Bill Cullum Invitational. The tournament is hosted by Cal State Northridge in Simi Valley.