GOLF | Gaels Hit the Links in Fresno This Week

FRESNO, Calif. – The Saint Mary's Golf Team will take part in the Nick Watney Invitational hosted by Fresno State from September 26-27 this week.

THE FIELD
SMC will compete against Pacific, Grand Canyon, Gonzaga, UC Riverside, UT Arlington, Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Seattle, UC Irvine, CSUN, Cal Baptist, and Fresno State in a full, 16-team field for the 2022-23 version of the tournament.

LAST TIME OUT
Kristian Bressum had the top score for the Gaels at the Husky Invitational, finishing 17th of 78 golfers.

The Denmark native shot a 220 overall finishing 4-over par. Bressum was 1-over on par threes for the tournament, good for fourth among all golfers.

Fellow sophomore Mitchell Hoey made an eagle in the tournament and was fifth overall in total pars made, finishing at 223 strokes, as did Jonathan Curran with both finishing in the top 25 in a tie for 24th overall. Curran made 11 birdies and Connor Reis and Bressum each had eight.

NICK WATNEY INVITATIONAL
The tournament will be the season-opener for the host Bulldogs, but the third of the season for the Gaels.

It's the 58th home tournament for Fresno State, which was originally called the Fresno State Classic and later renamed after Fresno State alum Nick Watney in 2014. This year's tournament will be hosted at Kings River Country Club in Kingsburg, Calif. for the first time.

SMC last competed at the Nick Watney Invitational in the 2020-21 season, and finished third overall as a team. They were in first place after the first two rounds, and Evan Peterson and Blake Hathcoat each finished tied for seventh among 49 golfers. The 2020 tournament had eight teams play in it that year with COVID-19 limiting the amount of participants.

The Kings River course is a par 71 and covers 6,623 yards.

LIVE SCORING:
Click here to see the live stats for the Nick Watney Invitational

STARTING LINEUP:
All teeing off at hole