LA QUINTA, Calif. — UC Davis'
Lucas Carper ensured that his first collegiate victory would be a memorable one as the Aggies' returning freshman finished with an even-par 72 in Tuesday's final round, pulling away from the field on the back nine and claiming the 2021 Big West Conference individual title at the La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif.
Carper finished with a 7-under 209 to win the tournament by five shots over Long Beach State's Clay Seeber and Cal State Fullerton's Garrett Boe, becoming the fourth different Aggie to win a Big West individual crown along with Austin Graham (twice in 2009 and 2011),
Matt Hansen (2014), and
Ryan Han (2018). With the victory, Carper automatically qualifies for the NCAA Regionals to be held on May 17-19. Official selections will be announced on Wednesday (May 5) as part of the GOLF Channel's College Central coverage and on NCAA.com beginning at 11 a.m. PT.
NCAA Regionals sites include: The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind., hosted by Ball State; Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee, Fla., hosted by Florida State; Championship Course at UNM in Albuquerque, N.M., hosted by New Mexico; Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., hosted by Oklahoma State; Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn., hosted by Vanderbilt; and Tumble Creek Golf & Country Club in Cle Elum, Wash., hosted by Washington. The NCAA men's championship will be held from May 28 - June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
A day after matching the school's single-round conference championship record with a second-round 67, Carper's final 209 is the second-lowest 54-hole score at a Big West Championship by a UC Davis player, trailing only Han's winning score of 208 three years ago. Carper's win is the 53rd by a UC Davis player since 1993, but the first since teammate
Thomas Hutchison won the Windon Memorial Classic in 2018.
As a team, UC Davis finished 3-under for the day and posted its second runner-up finish in the last three conference tournaments with a 1-over 865, trailing champion Long Beach State by seven shots and leading third-place Cal Poly by five strokes on the final leader board.
Entering the day the a five-shot lead, the pack began to close the gap as Carper's advantage was erased at the turn thanks to three bogeys on the front nine, while the Titans' Boe played the front at 3-under to catch Carper at 5-under. Both players bogeyed the 10th and birdied the 11th to remain tied, but that's when Carper buckled down, finishing the final seven holes at 2-under while Boe faded with four bogeys over the same stretch, sending the second-year Aggie to the victory.
Hutchison, who entered the day in a tie for seventh, posted his second straight top-five finish at a Big West Championship, finishing the tournament with his third consecutive even-par 72 to end the event in a tie for fifth. Hutchison, who finished second at the 2019 championship, posted birdies on the par-five sixth and the par-four ninth to finish the front at 2-under, but gave both strokes back on the back nine.
Returning freshman
Mark Stephens continued his climb up the leader board on Tuesday, shooting his second straight 71 following an opening-round 78 to finish with a 4-over 220 and a tie for 16th — up five spots from the start of the day. Stephens finished with five birdies on the day, using three straight on the sixth through eighth holes to finish the front at 1-under before playing the back nine even.
Classmate
Jacob Westberg saved his best for last, shooting a final round 2-under 70 to climb four spots into 20th with a 5-over 221, finishing strong thanks to four birdies on the back nine to end the day at 3-under on his final nine holes.
True freshman
Alejandro Nava wrapped up his first Big West Championships appearance with a second straight 74, finishing with a 9-over 225 and a tie for 24th.
Carper finished with 12 birdies for the tournament, ending in a tie for third amongst the field in that category, while his 34 pars were tied for fifth. Hutchison finished tied for eighth in the field with 11 birdies, while Stephens' 36 pars were tied for second.
2021 BIG WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
La Quinta Country Club (La Quinta, Calif.)
May 2-4, 2021 • Par 72 • 6,997 Yards
TEAM SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
1. Long Beach State, 287-283-288—858 (-6)
2. UC Davis, 296-284-285—865 (+1)
3. Cal Poly, 296-290-284—870 (+6)
4. Cal State Fullerton, 300-282-294—876 (+12)
5. UC Santa Barbara, 299-291-294—884 (+20)
6. CSUN, 302-294-301—897 (+33)
7. UC Irvine, 311-291-300—902 (+38)
8. Hawai'i, 303-302-307—912 (+48)
9. UC Riverside, 331-316-305—952 (+88)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (FINAL - 54 holes)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1.
Lucas Carper, UC Davis, 70-67-72–209 (-7)
t5.
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis, 72-72-72–216 (E)
t16.
Mark Stephens, UC Davis, 78-71-71—220 (+4)
20.
Jacob Westberg, UC Davis, 77-74-70–221 (+5)
t24.
Alejandro Nava, UC Davis, 77-74-74–225 (+9)
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.
