EL MACERO, Calif. — Max Thomas shot a 4-under par round of 68 and tied for third place at the El Macero Classic on Sunday. Thomas finished the three-day, three-round event with scores of 73-71-68-212 (4-under).
 
Sacramento State moved up six additional spots in the team standings to tie for ninth place in the 19-team field. The Hornets shot 303-297-294-894 and improved their score in each round.
 
After two difficult weather days, the sun came out for parts of Sunday and scores dropped throughout the course. Thomas, who had to finish his final hole of his second round early this morning, was bogey-free during the third round. The sophomore was 2-under on both sides of the course with birdies on Nos. 11 and 16 on the back side and on Nos. 2 and 6 on the front. The tie for third is his second top-three showing of the year and he has now been even or under par in 15 of his 27 rounds this season, including 10 rounds in the 60s.
 
Thomas finished three shots off the pace of Pacific's Felix Bouchard who won the tournament at 68-72-69-209. Jared Aberbrombie of California Baptist was second with a 54-hole total of 74-69-68-211.
 
Gabriel Smith ranked second for Sacramento State on Sunday with a 74 and tied for 61^st place overall (77-78-74-229). Smith was 3-over through two holes and 4-over through five before playing his finial 12 holes at 2-under. During the at run, he birdied Nos. 18, 1 and 2 to get to 1-over during the day. A bogey on No. 3 and equalized by a birdie on the par- 5 fifth. Following a double bogey on No. 6, he birdied the par-3 seventh.
 
Zach Mate and Zach Matzke each shot 76 to give the team its total for the round. Mate had three birdies and seven bogeys while Matzke provided three birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys.
 
Sacramento State will next compete at the Big Sky Championships in Litchfield Park, Ariz., on Apr. 27-29. The winning team from the tournament will earn an automatic berth to an NCAA Regional.
 
EL MACERO CLASSIC
El Macero, Calif. | El Macero CC
Par 72 | 7,138 Yards
 
Team Standings
1. Pacific 284-290-287-861
2. California Baptist 291-287-295-873
3. Nevada 293-285-298-876
T4. Washington State 293-295-291-879
T4. Saint Mary's 293-294-292-879
6. Seattle U 300-297-293-890
7. Wyoming 299-293-299-891
8. UC Davis 289-302-294-894
T9. Sacramento State 303-297-294-894
T9. Denver 296-295-303-894
11. San Francisco 299-295-302-896
12. Cal State Fullerton 296-297-304-897
T13. Fresno State 298-296-304-898
T13. UC San Diego 292-301-305-898
15. Colorado State 295-300-307
16. CSUN 298-311-295-904
17. UC Riverside 297-303-307-907
18. UT Arlington 292-310-306-908
19. Gonzaga 297-314-298-909
 
Individual Top Five
1. Felix Bouchard, PAC, 68-72-69-209
2. Jared Abercrombie, CBU, 74-69-68-211
T3. Max Thomas, SAC, 73-71-68-212
T3. Lequan Wang, UCD, 72-67-73-212
T5. Timothy Jung, PAC, 71-73-73-217
T5. Dylan Boenning, WSU, 72-75-70-217
 
Sacramento State Scores
T3. Max Thomas 73-71-68-212
T59. Zach Mate 78-74-76-228
T61. Gabriel Smith 77-78-74-229
T67. Jai Bahl 78-74-78-230
T67. Zach Matzke 75-79-76-230