The Dixie State University men’s golf team fired a tournament high 59 birdies but fell a few strokes short to “three-peat” as conference champions.
The Fazio Course at Turtle Bay Resort played home to the 2016-2017 Pacific West Conference Men’s Golf Championship. Teams battled for bragging rights and for some, an invitation to the NCAA West/South Central Regional Championships. Though Brigham Young University-Hawaii managed to take the title with an impressive 19-under-par (845), the Trailblazers took home the bronze by posting an 854 (-9).
“I know the [players] wanted to three-peat more than I did, and I really wanted to three-peat because that doesn’t happen very often,” head coach Brad Sutterfield said. “I think they are disappointed.”
DSU was anchored by sophomore Nicklaus Britt, who finished tied for 2nd with an overall 202 (-14). Britt fired the low-round of the tournament by shooting a 63 (-9) on day two. Through all three days of competition, he strung together 20 birdies and an eagle.
“Nick played flawless,” said Jayce Frampton, a freshman business major from Centerville.
Britt managed to break several DSU scoring records along with the PacWest 18-hole scoring record when he posted his score on Tuesday.
“I went out with the attitude to help try and bring the team back into contention,” said Britt, a business major from Fillmore. “The round felt easy and fun.”
Junior Dane Nelson, though 10 strokes behind Britt, managed to be one of only eight players to finish in red figures. Nelson finished in 7th by putting together rounds of 77-66-69. Overall, Nelson ended with a 4-under-par (212) score.
Both Britt and Nelson were named to the PacWest all-tournament team.
Fellow Trailblazers James Avis, Frampton and Tyson Tanner each put together respectful scores to help DSU finish in 3rd place. Avis, a freshman from Brisbane, Australia, shot 73-71-75 to sneak into the top 20 with a 219 (+3) overall score. Frampton wasn’t too far behind by finishing tied for 30th by signing an overall 224 (+8). Tanner, the lone-senior, rounded out the team with an 11-over-par (227).
“We had a stretch of 27 holes [that] was probably the best golf I’ve ever seen a college team play,” Sutterfield said. “We just didn’t quite sustain it for the whole [54]. I’m really proud of our effort and how [we] kept fighting.”
DSU now waits patiently for the field to be set and posted for Regionals. If qualified, the Trailblazers will play May 8-10 with hopes of finishing in the top 5 to make the NCAA Division II National Championships May 23-27.
