LA QUINTA, Calif. — Luke Dugger shot a 5-under par round of 67 in the final round of the Big West Championship and concluded the tournament in 15^th place on Tuesday at La Quinta Country Club. The Hornets tied for ninth place in the 12-team field while competing at the event for the first time in program history.
 
Dugger was never above par at any point of his final round. He started with a par on No. 10 and recorded his first birdie on the par-5 11^th. A birdie on No. 13 was followed by a bogey on No. 14 to keep him at 1-under. Dugger added birdies on the par-4 16^th and 17^th and made the turn at 3-under. He continued the momentum on the front side of the course beginning with a birdie on the par-4 first. The graduate played his final six holes at 1-under with birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 7 and bogeys on Nos. 4 and 9. He concluded the tournament at 1-under with a 54-hole total of 77-71-67-215.
 
Dugger finished the year with 19 rounds at par or better, including 10 in the 60s. He was under par in seven of the team's 11 tournaments and ended the regular season with a scoring average of 71.64.
 
Zach Mate was also in the red on Tuesday, recording a round of 70. Mate birdied No. 10 to start his round but was 1-over at the midway point of his day after playing Nos. 6-9 at 2-over. The junior was bogey-free on the front nine and carded birdies on the par-3 third, and seventh and the par-4 ninth. Mate tied for 34^th at the championship at 78-72-70-220.
 
Max Thomas also matched that 54-hole mark to tie for 34^th with Mate. In the final round, Thomas had six pars and three bogeys over his first nine holes. He rose to 5-over through 12 holes before tallying birdies on Nos. 5-7.
 
Jake Aberle provided a round of 76 towards the team total. Aberle had pars on eight of his first nine holes with the exception being a double bogey on the par-3 12^th. Aberle was 2-over on the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 1, 2 and 9 and a birdie on the par-5 fifth. He tied for 50^th place at 74-75-76-225.
 
Gabriel Smith finished 54^th with rounds of 69-82-79-230. Smith had two birdies, five bogeys and a quadruple bogey in the final round.
 
Long Beach State, which is ranked 22^nd nationally, rallied to win the tournament by five strokes. The 49ers entered the final round three shots behind Cal State Fullerton but were 8-under on the day. LBSU was 22-under par over the three rounds while the Titans were 17-under. UC Davis and UC Irvine tied for third place at 8-under.
 
Krishnav Chopraa of Long Beach State was the medalist after shooting 63-66-71-200 to finish at 16-under.
 
Sacramento State concluded the year with a scoring average of 289.42 strokes per round which ranks third in school history.
 
Big West Championship
La Quinta, Calif. | La Quinta CC
Par 72 | 7056 Yards
 
Team Standings
1. #22 Long Beach State 281-281-280-842
2. Cal State Fullerton 279-280-288-847
T3. UC Davis 290-285-281-856
T3. UC Irvine 290-285-281-856
5. Idaho 285-288-289-862
6. UC Santa Barbara 297-282-287-866
T7. UC San Diego 295-285-289-869
T7. CSUN 295-293-281-869
T9. Sacramento State 294-290-287-871
T9. Hawaii 295-289-287-871
11. Cal Poly 296-290-287-873
12. UC Riverside 304-299-284-887
 
Individual Top Five
1. Krishnav Chopraa, LBSU, 63-66-71-200
2. Dylan Ma, UCSB, 73-68-66-207
3. Zack Tarter, UCD, 70-72-66-208
4. Charlie Forster, LBSU, 74-73-63-210
T5. William Tanaka, CSF, 72-69-70-211
T5. Giacoma Comerio, CSF, 71-71-69-211
T5. Tegan Andrews, CSF, 68-69-74-211
 
Sacramento State Scores
T15. Luke Dugger 77-71-67-215
T34. Zach Mate 78-72-70-220
T34. Max Thomas 74-72-74-220
T50. Jake Aberle 74-75-76-225
54. Gabriel Smith 69-82-79-230