DAVIS, Calif. — Returning freshman
Jacob Westberg and returning junior
Thomas Hutchison each shot 68 on the day, and host UC Davis rallied thank to a huge final round to take home the title at the seventh annual El Macero Classic in a one-hole playoff on Monday afternoon at the El Macero Country Club.
The Aggies, who dipped as low as fourth on the day after entering the final 18 holes in a tie for third, took home their third title in their own tournament, defeating Saint Mary's in a playoff on the par-five 18th, scoring 4-4-4-5-5 to the Gaels' 4-4-4-6-6. UC Davis finished at 7-under in its final round, shooting 281 to match the Gaels at 16-under overall and force the playoff en route to the tournament title.
It marked the third all-time El Macero Classic title for the Aggies, but their first since winning the second of back-to-back titles in the second annual event in 2015. It marks the 41st tournament victory for the program since 1993 and its first since winning at The Goodwin in 2016. Monday's 281 by UC Davis is the fourth-lowest round of the weekend, tied for the eighth-lowest in the tournament's history, and is the lowest single-round score for the Aggies since they shot the same score during the first two rounds at the Trinity Forest Invitational back in September 2019.
Monday's charge up the leader board was thanks to huge performances on the back nine by Westberg, Hutchison, and true freshman
Alejandro Nava, who all finished the event among the top 10. Westberg and Hutchison combined for seven birdies on the back, each coming in at 2-under and posting birdies on three of the final five holes.
Hutchison jumped four spots into a tie for fourth thanks to his 68, finishing the tournament with a 7-under 209 — his lowest single round of the year and his best finish since a runner-up ending at the 2019 Big West Conference Championships.
Meanwhile, Westberg, who added an eagle on the par-five second hole, finished with four birdies on the back nine and jumped eight spots on the final leader board into a tie for sixth with a 6-under 210, missing his career-low round by a single stroke. His 54-hole total is a collegiate career best, while his tie for sixth is his best finish, beating out the 16th place finish at the Marquette Intercollegiate in 2019.
Nava also wrapped up his finest collegiate finish of his young career following an even-par 72 on Monday, posting three birdies on the back nine to finish at 4-under for the weekend and a tie for 10th. The freshman's previous best was a tie for 39th at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic last week.
Returning freshman
Mark Stephens wrapped up the scoring group with a 1-over 73, finishing the back nine even thanks to two of his four birdies, and ended the weekend with a 3-over 219 and a tie for 32nd.
Returning freshman
Lucas Carper fired a final round 75 to end the tournament in a tie for 64th, while individuals
Daniel Kim and
Shane Muldowney finished tied for 71st and tied for 78th, respectively.
Entering this year's tournament, only one team had ever finished the tournament under par (UC Davis was 8-under in the inaugural event in 2014) while 13 individuals had successfully broken par. The 2021 event featured six teams under par following Monday's finale round, while 20 different individuals ended their tournament in the red, including individual medalist Matthew Sutherland of Fresno State, who finished with a tournament record 13-under 203, holding off Santa Clara's Matt McCarty by two strokes and eclipsing Luke Vivolo's previous record of 10-under in 2015.
At the Wildhorse Individual Tournament a couple of miles away,
Michael Shaw finished with a final round 79 to end that event in a tie for 19th.
This week's event served as the team's final tune-up for the 2021 Big West Conference Championships, which will be held at the La Quinta County Club in La Quinta, Calif., on May 2-4.
EL MACERO CLASSIC
El Macero Country Club (Davis, Calif.)
Par 72 • 7,110 Yards
TEAM SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
1. UC DAVIS, 282-285-281—848 (-16)
2. Saint Mary's, 278-288-282—848 (-16)
3. San Francisco, 285-277-288—850 (-14)
4. Fresno State, 290-277-284—851 (-13)
5. Santa Clara, 293-283-282—858 (-6)
6. Long Beach State, 292-284-284—860 (-4)
t7. Pacific, 284-299-285—868 (+4)
t7. Idaho, 295-283-290—868 (+4)
9. Loyola Marymount, 298-285-289—872 (+8)
10. Cal State Fullerton, 293-289-293—875 (+11)
11. Nevada, 301-281-298—880 (+16)
12. Cal Poly, 296-294-294—884 (+20)
13. Sacramento State, 310-294-283—887 (+23)
14. Washington State, 303-290-295—888 (+24)
15. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 309-307-303—919 (+55)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1. Matthew Sutherland, Fresno State, 68-66-69—203 (-13)
t4.
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis, 72-69-68—209 (-7)
t6.
Jacob Westberg, UC Davis, 69-73-68—210 (-6)
t10.
Alejandro Nava, UC Davis, 69-71-72—212 (-4)
t32.
Mark Stephens, UC Davis, 72-74-73—219 (+3)
t64.
Lucas Carper, UC Davis, 80-72-75—227 (+11)
t71.
Daniel Kim*, UC Davis, 75-75-78—228 (+12)
t78.
Shane Muldowney*, UC Davis, 79-79-80—238 (+22)
* denotes competed as an individual
WILDHORSE CLASSIC INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT
Wildhorse Golf Club (Davis, Calif.)
Par 72 • 6,827 Yards
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1. Nolan Forsman, Santa Clara, 71-69-68—208 (-8)
t19.
Michael Shaw, UC Davis, 76-74-79–229 (+13)
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
