Threatened by winds reaching 40 miles per hour, the third day of the men’s golf Big West Tournament was canceled, leaving the Aggies with a second place finish.
UC Davis was led by senior Matt Hansen, who built on a victory in the El Macero Classic by taking first place honors. Hansen ended the two days of play eight under par, led by 12 birdies and just four bogies. He finished with an impressive five-shot lead over the second place finisher. The individual win gave Hansen three for his impressive career as an Aggie.
“That was an absolutely dominant performance,” said head coach Cy Williams. “I’m very proud what he’s done the last two weeks. He’s really put the team on his shoulders.”
The Aggies’ first day was led by a strong 5-under 67 by Hansen as well as a 2-under 70 by freshman Nicholas Noya who finished the day tied for fourth place. Noya, like Hansen, is coming off of an extremely strong performance in the El Macero Classic.
The Aggies quickly took the lead on the second day of play, but fell back into second place. Noya fell slightly, but maintained his top-10 status with a 2-over 74. Hansen continued his strong play with a 3-under 69, while sophomore Ben Corfee, sophomore Luke Vivolo and senior Joshua Granger all finished with better scores than their first days. Each finished strong down the stretch, with Vivolo birdying his last two holes.
The tournament ended early after wind delays reached over 90 minutes. With the early finish, Hansen remained in first place. However, the Aggies were not given the chance to claim a first place finish.
With the Big West Tournament over, UC Davis now has to wait and see if they will receive an at-large to the NCAA Tournament.
“I think we’re very deserving for an at-large bid,” Williams said.
At-large bids will be announced live on May 5 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the Golf Channel. Regardless, the Aggies can rest well knowing that they did all that they could to close out the season on a high note.
RYAN REED can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
