Simi Valley—For the first time since the 2005 season, the UC Riverside Men's Golf Team has won the Big West Championship. The Highlanders, who entered the final round with a shot six lead, held off an early charge from Cal Poly and outplayed the Mustangs on holes 17-18 to win the 2016 conference tournament at Wood Ranch Golf Club. (final results)

The Highlanders trailed early on the front nine by as many as four shots after a flurry of birdies by the Mustangs. Coming down the stretch the teams traded the lead back and forth, shot for shot. The final two holes on the course proved to be pivotal, as every birdie was earned and every wayward shot was punished.

UCR navigated the par three, 207 yard 17th hole, at +1 as a team, and the par five 18th—they played it at -4 in the final round, while the Mustangs were +5 with two doubles bogeys on the 17th and even on 18.

Brandon Tsujimoto made a seventy-foot putt for eagle at the 18th to give the Highlanders a lead they would never relinquish. Sam Gillis also had a birdie at the last, he was followed up by Matt Lutz, who had a birdie of his own.

Head Men's Golf Coach Rick Todd earns the conference title in his first season at UC Riverside, he took over the team in November of last year, after Head Women's Golf Coach Mary Ritchie guided both teams in the fall.

"I felt like they could do it, but they needed to believe it, and they did when Spilman shot 67. That pushed all of them to the level they needed to be at to get this done.", said Coach Todd. Andrew Spilman's second round 67 was the low round of the tournament.

The Men's team was led by current PGA pro Brendan Steele the last time they hoisted the trophy (2005).

By winning both the Men's and Women's Big West golf title, they become the first school in the conference since UC Davis in 2012 to accomplish such a feat. 

The Highlanders advance to the NCAA Division I men's regionals, which are held at six sites this year from May 16-18. This year's regional sites include Tuscaloosa, AL, Tucson, AZ, Kohler, WI, Albuquerque, NM, Stillwater, OK, and Nashville, TN. They will learn their destination on Men's NCAA selection show at 6:30 am PT on the Golf Channel.

 

Pos. 1	UC Riverside	1st Rd Total 294	2nd Rd Total 280	Final Rd Total 288	Total    862
T3	Matt Lutz (-1)	76	68	71	215
T12	Brandon Tsujimoto (+2)	70	77	71	218
19	Sam Gillis (+3)	72	72	75	219
T24	Andrew Spilman (+6)	76	67	79	222
T27	Michael Wong (+7)	79	73	71	223