Oklahoma Christian off to solid if soggy start in Fujikura Invite
VISTA, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2019) – The famous song claims “it never rains in Southern California,” but that certainly wasn’t the case on Monday while Oklahoma Christian played its first tournament in the Golden State in five years.
Despite the soggy conditions for their spring-season opener, the ninth-ranked Eagles played well enough to put themselves in contention in the Fujikura Invitational at Shadowridge Golf Club in suburban San Diego. When play was suspended midway through the second round, OC – which shot a 295 in the first round – was at 9-over and in third place in the 15-team field.
The Eagles, whose five players had finished between eight and 10 holes of the second round, trailed California-San Diego (3-over) and No. 8-ranked Chico State (Calif.) (7-over). UCSD’s players had finished seven or eight holes, while Chico State’s also had played between eight and 10 holes on the par-72, 7,008-yard course.
California State-Monterey Bay was fourth at 12-over, tied with Western New Mexico, and tournament host California State-San Marcos was sixth at 13-over.
Individually, senior Garrett White was the Eagles’ top player, tied for sixth in the 80-man field at even par. White shot a 72 in the first round, recording four birdies over his final seven holes. He had recorded three birdies in his final five holes of the second round before play was suspended,
Another OC senior, Cameron Brown, was 1-under in the second round after a first-round 76, while junior Trevor Norby – from nearby Carlsbad, Calif. – shot a first-round 73 and was 2-over in the second round. Both were tied for 15th individually at 3-over.
OC sophomore Andres Brictson and senior Juan Pallach each posted a 75 in the first round. Brictson was 1-over in the second round and tied for 25th at 4-over overall, while Pallach was at 3-over for the second round and 6-over for the tournament, tied for 34th.
Playing as an individual, OC senior Ethan Smith was at 10-over, tied for 55th. Smith shot a 77 in the first round.
Sam Ruston of Western New Mexico was the individual leader at 4-under.
Play is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, weather permitting. Plans call for the completion of the second round.