Men’s Team: Victory at Last
The Clan men emerged victorious at the Golfweek Division II Fall Preview held October 3 to 5, achieving even par as a team over three rounds, defeating their closest rival, California State University-Stanislaus by three strokes.
After the first round, they finished with a team score of 292 strokes (+1) which put them at fourth place, however, they picked up the pace in the second round, notching a score of 276 (-3), firmly taking the lead.
This rise in the second round was assisted by John Mlikotic who shot 67 (-5), which tied for the best score of the tournament.
“I kind of struggled a bit in the morning, but I wanted to stay patient and try to get a round together for the afternoon. I was playing alright and then [. . .] I finally got a couple of shots close and ended up making five birdies in a row [which] kind of sparked my round,” said Mlikotic, who finished tied for the second best total individual score along with teammate Bret Thompson, with 213 (-3).
SFU would hit a final round of 296 (+2) and hang on to the lead for their first victory in the NCAA.
“The team’s playing great, we’re just going to try to ride this momentum into the last tournament of the semester,” said Mlikotic. “The team played well, you can’t ask for more than that.”
The men play next at the Cal State Monterey Bay Invite in Monterey, CA on October 20-21.
Women’s Team: Getting Stronger
The women’s golf team opened their season placing second at the Saint Martin’s Invitational, behind Saint Martin’s University (SMU), the home team, at the Olympia Golf & Country Club.
SFU achieved a team score of 632 over two rounds, consisting of the scores of four players. This was 30 strokes behind first place SMU, and 33 strokes ahead of third place University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Individually, junior Mackenzie Field led the Clan, coming in second with a total score of 159, scoring 79 and 80 in the two rounds. Breanna Croxen finished right behind her, coming in third, only two strokes back from Field.
All SFU golfers made the top 15, with sophomore Erin Farmer placing 11th, while Jennifer McTeer and Kylie Jack placed 14th and 15th respectively.
The Clan women will play next at the Vikes Invitational in Victoria, BC from October 20-21.
