The UC Davis men’s golf team traveled to Eugene, Ore. for the Duck Invitational coming off a strong showing at the Fresno State Lexus Classic, where it finished third out of the 20-team field.
The Aggies stayed hot in Oregon, putting together an impressive final-round showing to post a fifth-place finish.
The Aggies struggled on the first day of the tournament, firing rounds of 300 and 303 en route to a tie for eighth place in the 12-team field.
UC Davis rallied back the tournament’s second day, jumping three spots to finish fifth. The Aggies posted the third-lowest score of the day at 288, behind only winner Washington’s 278 and runner-up Oregon’s 284.
Sprinkling shot a 2-under 70 while fellow senior Nate Pistacchio shot a 71 for the day. Sprinkling and Pistacchio finished 27th and 35th, respectively.
Sophomore Austin Graham led the way for the Aggies, going 73-74-74 to finish tied for 17th. Junior Brent Booth tied for 20th overall.
Weather seemed to be a factor, as players didn’t have to battle the rain showers, wind and cold weather they were forced to deal with on the first day of the tournament’s final round.
Coach Cy Williams said he was impressed with his team’s performance.
“They just love to play and they work so hard,” Williams said. “They’re very talented and they work very hard and they want to be great players. That’s it. They do everything the right way.“
Williams has been particularly impressed by Sprinkling, who has won two tournaments thus far this spring.
“There’s not many people in college golf that win two big tournaments like that, so what a tribute to him,” Williams said.
The No. 24 Aggies are off until they participate in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Apr. 6-7.
KYLE HYLAND can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
