LA QUINTA, Calif. — UC Davis returning freshman
Lucas Carper tied the school single-round mark in a Big West Conference Championship with a 5-under 67, ballooning his lead to five shots after 36 holes and helping the Aggies hold on to second place overall following the second round of the conference tournament on Monday at the La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif.
Posting its lowest round as a team in the league's postseason event since back-to-back 280s in the second and third rounds of the 2018 conference championships, UC Davis finished Monday with a 4-under 284 as a squad, improving by 12 shots from its day one score and standing 10 shots back of day two leader Long Beach State, which finished at 5-under for the day and stands atop the leader board at 6-under for the tournament.
Carper's 67 matches
Ryan Han's score in the second round of the 2018 event and
Matt Hansen's first round at the Big West Championships in 2014. Both eventually went on to claim the individual conference title in those respective seasons.
Following a bogey-less opening round on Sunday, Carper posted his first on the par-three third before catching fire on the front nine, carding a birdie on the par-five fourth, an eagle three on the par-five fifth, and a birdie on the par-three seventh to finish the front nine at 3-under.
A bogey at the turn brought Carper back to Earth a bit, but the San Jose, Calif., native responded in a big way with birdies on four of his final eight holes, standing at 7-under for the tournament and five shots ahead of three players heading into Tuesday.
Returning junior
Thomas Hutchison posted his second consecutive even-par 72, but dropped two spots into a tie for seventh on Monday, adding four more birdies to his total and ranking tied for fourth in the tournament with nine after two rounds. The San Jose, Calif., native played the front at 1-over before birdies on the par-five 11th and par-four 18th brought him even.
After posting an opening round 78, returning freshman
Mark Stephens found a groove on Tuesday, finishing with a 1-under 71 to move to 5-over for the tournament and up nine spots into a tie for 21st. Stephens carded birdies on the par-five fifth and the par-four 16th, with only a bogey on the 14th hole standing as the lone blemish on his scorecard. The 71 was one off his career best set at last year's Marquette Intercollegiate and matched in the final rounds of this year's The Prestige and Sacramento State Invitational.
Returning freshman
Jacob Westberg and true freshman
Alejandro Nava are joined at the hip, following up their respective opening-round 77s with identical scores of 74 on Monday, putting them both at 7-over for the tournament and a tie for 24th. Westberg carded three of his four birdies on the day on the front nine, while Nava was 1-under after nine holes before fading back to the pack to finish the day.
UC Davis tees off the final day beginning at 8:50 a.m., alongside Long Beach State and third-place Cal State Fullerton. Live scoring for the final round is available via GolfStat at
http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=22029.
2021 BIG WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
La Quinta Country Club (La Quinta, Calif.)
Par 72 • 6,997 Yards
TEAM SCORES (after 36 holes)
1. Long Beach State, 287-283—570 (-6)
2. UC DAVIS, 296-284—580 (+4)
3. Cal State Fullerton, 300-282—582 (+6)
4. Cal Poly, 296-290—586 (+10)
5. UC Santa Barbara, 299-291—590 (+14)
6. CSUN, 302-294—596 (+20)
7. UC Irvine, 311-291—602 (+26)
8. Hawai'i, 303-302—605 (+29)
9. UC Riverside, 331-316—647 (+71)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (after 36 holes)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1.
Lucas Carper, UC Davis, 70-67–137 (-7)
t7.
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis, 72-72–144 (E)
t21.
Mark Stephens, UC Davis, 78-71—149 (+5)
t24.
Jacob Westberg, UC Davis, 77-74–151 (+7)
t24.
Alejandro Nava, UC Davis, 77-74–151 (+7)
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.
