DAVIS, Calif. — Led by a 3-under par round of 69 from Taylor Knoll, the Sacramento State men's golf team is tied for fifth place following the first round of the El Macero Classic on Friday at El Macero Country Club.
The Hornets shot 295 as a team and are 14 strokes behind host UC Davis and Marquette which are tied for the team lead at 281. Nevada and Utah Valley are tied for third place after each team tallied 288 to finish even par for the day.
Knoll is tied with Marquette's Brandon Cloete for second place in the individual standings. The sophomore is two strokes back of UCD's Luke Vivolo for the top individual spot. Knoll began his day off the first tee and was even at the midway point of his round with a birdie on the par-4 fourth and a bogey on the par-4 ninth. He played the back nine at 3-under with the help of a strong finish. The El Dorado Hills, Calif., native birdied the par-4 10th but was even following a bogey on the par-4 13th. After a par on No. 14, Knoll birdied three of his final four holes. The streak began on the par-4 15th and was immediately followed by a birdie not he par-3 16th. After a par on No. 17, he closed his day with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
Luke Kristo and Aaron Beverly each totaled 75 to tie for second among the players in the Sacramento State lineup. Kristo bogeyed two of his first three holes before stringing together seven consecutive pars. A birdie on the par-4 11th moved him to 1-over before he double-bogeyed the par-4 13th.
Beverly started with a birdie on No. 1 and was even through 10 holes. Another birdie on the par-4 11th moved him to 1-under. However, a bogey on the par-3 12th and triple-bogey on the par-4 13th jumped him to 3-over where he remained.
The final score towards the team total came from Robert Parden who carded a round of 76. The sophomore's round consisted of four birdies, two bogeys and three double bogeys.
Sacramento State was also represented by Riley Hayfield who shot 78.
Cody Bates and Zach Liberatore competed as individuals and finished with the second and third best scores by a Hornet during the day. Bates is tied for 12th overall after shooting 72. Bates began his day on the 10th hole and made the turn at 1-over. He then birdied the first and second holes to drop to 1-under. A bogey on the par-4 sixth returned him to even. Liberatore shot 74 with a pair of birdies and four bogeys and is tied for 27th.
The second round of the tournament will get under way on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
EL MACERO CLASSIC
El Macero CC | Davis, Calif.
Par 72 | 6,964 Yards
TEAM STANDINGS
T1. UC Davis 281
T1. Marquette 281
T3. Nevada 288
T3. Utah Valley 288
T5. SACRAMENTO STATE 295
T5. Fresno State 295
7. Cal State Fullerton 297
8. Cal Poly 298
9. Grand Canyon 299
INDIVIDUAL TOP FIVE
1. Luke Vivolo, UCD, 67
T2. Taylor Knoll, SAC, 69
T2. Brandon Cloete, MARQ, 69
T4. Will Brink, UCD, 70*
T4. Trevor Thomas, MARQ, 70
T4. Jooho Lee, NEV, 70
T4. Nick Nelson, MARQ, 70
SACRAMENTO STATE SCORES
T2. Taylor Knoll 69
T12. Cody Bates 72*
T27. Zach Liberatore 74*
T34. Luke Kristo 75
T34. Aaron Beverly 75
T44. Robert Parden 76
T52. Riley Hayfield 78
* Competed as an individual
