Event: Waikoloa Intercollegiate
Where: Mauna Lani Resort North Course – Waikoloa, Hawaii
When: Today, tomorrow and Friday; all day
Who to watch: Austin Graham wasted little time in making an impact during the fall season. Now, he’ll look to get off to a similar start in the spring.
A native of San Clemente, Calif., Graham finished first among individuals in UC Davis‘ fall opener, pacing UC Davis to a first-place team finish against a competitive 16-team field.
The sophomore fired a school-record 63 in the second round at the Prestige at PGA WEST, helping the Aggies to an impressive second-place showing.
Did you know? UC Davis is no stranger to Waikoloa, as it starts off its spring campaign at Hawaii-Hilo’s host tournament for the sixth straight year.
The Aggies bounced back from a slow start last year to card scores of 277 and 279 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Senior Nate Pistacchio led UC Davis scorers, tying for 13th place.
Preview: If the UC Davis men’s golf team wasn’t on the national radar prior to the Prestige at PGA WEST, it certainly was by the time the loaded tournament came to a close.
The Aggies knocked off 10 teams ranked in the national top 50, including No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Washington, as their second-place finish to close out the fall campaign vaulted them to No. 20 in the country.
After finishing in the top two in five of its six fall tournaments, UC Davis begins its spring season with a world of expectations.
Three Aggies – senior Ramie Sprinkling, Graham and Pistacchio – claimed medalist honors for UC Davis during fall play, with the latter two also earning Big West Conference Golfer of the Month recognition for September and October, respectively.
Expect the trio to shoot low once again in Hawaii – and for the duration of the spring season.
– Adam Loberstein
