In its first spring season tournament, the Fresno State men’s golf team finished seventh at the Arizona National Invitational Tournament., which took place from Jan. 29-30. 

The team shot 27 under 837 as Bulldog senior Matthew Manganello led the team with the lowest score overall. 

The ‘Dogs came into the tournament with some remarkable feats in the fall, including three top 5 finishes, a program-low one-round score of 263 at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, and several individual achievements from players, such as junior Joseph Lloyd, senior Matthew Sutherland, and Manganello. 

In Round 1, Manganello led the ‘Dogs with a score of 5-under par. His teammates were only one shot behind him with freshman Ryan Firpo, Sutherland, and Lloyd all carding a 4-under 68. This was three shots off the lead individual score of 7-under from Arizona State and Brigham Young University. 

Fresno State finished day one of the tournament strong with a 21-under score and sat in fifth place overall. Firpo was leading the way with back-to-back 4-under scores, putting him at 8-under after Round 2. His teammates weren’t far behind, as Lloyd was at 6-under and Manganello at 5-under after shooting an even score in the second round. 

The Bulldogs concluded the tournament tying Southern Methodist University and West Virginia University for seventh place. Manganello and Sutherland both finished strong for the team, scoring a 5-under 67 in the final round. 

Overall, Manganello finished the tournament with an individual score of 10-under par 206 and tied for 17th place. Sutherland tied for 28th with a 7-underscore, tying players from SMU, the University of Missouri University, Arizona State and Saint Mary’s. Firpo continues to improve as he was able to match his season-low three-round score with a 6-under 210. 

Next up for the Fresno State men’s golf team is the John Burns Intercollegiate at the Ocean Course Hokuala in Hawaii, which takes place from Feb. 15-17.