Tuesday, September 26
Fort Washington CC, Fresno, Calif.
Saint Mary's College of California
at
3rd Round
GOLF | First Place Finish for Reis and Gaels at Nick Watney Invitational
9/26/2023 5:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
FULL LEADERBOARD:
Click here to see the full tournament results
FRESNO, Calif. – Saint Mary's Golf claimed the 2023 Nick Watney Invitational Championship on Tuesday, as Connor Reis came in first among 83 golfers with a program-record 195 strokes over 54 holes as well to finish 18-under par.
Reis and the Gaels topped several program records with their win at the tournament hosted by Fresno State, including the team-low for total strokes over 54 rounds at 816, topping their 825 strokes from the Nick Watney Invitational in 2015.
"This Tournament was a great example of how well this team can play when we all play with confidence," Reis said. "If one person wasn't playing great one round, they had the confidence that someone on the team was playing well. I'm very proud of the team for how we carried ourselves all week, and trusting the preparations we put in and learning from the last tournament. We learned a lot this week and grew our confidence even more."
Reis' 195 strokes topped the 197 by Jonathan De Los Reyes at the WCC Championships in 2016 and by Pavan Sagoo at the Nick Watney in '15. The junior's 18-under is the Nick Watney tournament record and is the second-best, 54-hole finish in program history to De Los Reyes' 19 under at in that WCC Championship.
It was the Gaels best finish since they came in third at last season's SMC Invite. It was their first tournament win since they finished tied for first at the El Macero Classic hosted by UC Davis in April of 2021, and they finished third as a team at the Nick Watney in February of that same season as well.
"This is the win our team has been waiting for," Head Coach Scott Hardy said. "We have the talent and our players have been working hard. To see it pay off and take home the trophy this week is very gratifying. I think it this has a chance to be the start of a lot of really strong golf and success for this group. We will get back to work and prepare to come out and play like this when we head to our next tournament at Cal."
The Claremont, Calif. native missed par only once over the three rounds this week, and racked up 19 birdies to lead all golfers. His 62 in round two edged out the 63s shot by Jonathan De Los Reyes, Mac McClung, and John Chirla for the SMC, single-round program record, with De Los Reyes' being the most recent in 2014. Reis had a good showing at last year's Nick Watney as well, finishing 16th as the top Gael at 2-under par.
"Absolutely solid play all tournament for Connor," Coach Hardy commented. "To make only one bogey the entire 54 holes is unbelievable. He set the tournament record with his 18-under par finish at a tourney that has as much history as any in college golf. It's been played since 1964 and the list of previous winners is loaded PGA Tour players and superstars like Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Nick Watney, and Craig Stadler. We couldn't be prouder of the way Connor performed this week."
Mitchell Hoey was playing as an individual and finished fourth overall with a very consistent tournament, shooting a 68, 67, and 67 over the three rounds to finish at 202 strokes and 11-under par. The 202 strokes tied him for third in program history with Robert McRae's 202 at the 2009 Del Walker Intercollegiate.
Kristian Bressum finished tied for 11th at 8-under par, and his 205 strokes tie him for sixth in program history over 54 holes. Sophomore Aidan Lee shot up the leaderboard on day three with a 67 in the third round to finish 3-under par at 210 strokes. James Watney also had a strong finish coming in 3-under par in round three with a 68 in his first appearance as a Gael, finishing at 214 strokes.
UP NEXT:
The Gaels will play in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational October 9-10 hosted by Cal at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif.
#GaelsRise
Click here to see the full tournament results
FRESNO, Calif. – Saint Mary's Golf claimed the 2023 Nick Watney Invitational Championship on Tuesday, as Connor Reis came in first among 83 golfers with a program-record 195 strokes over 54 holes as well to finish 18-under par.
Reis and the Gaels topped several program records with their win at the tournament hosted by Fresno State, including the team-low for total strokes over 54 rounds at 816, topping their 825 strokes from the Nick Watney Invitational in 2015.
"This Tournament was a great example of how well this team can play when we all play with confidence," Reis said. "If one person wasn't playing great one round, they had the confidence that someone on the team was playing well. I'm very proud of the team for how we carried ourselves all week, and trusting the preparations we put in and learning from the last tournament. We learned a lot this week and grew our confidence even more."
Reis' 195 strokes topped the 197 by Jonathan De Los Reyes at the WCC Championships in 2016 and by Pavan Sagoo at the Nick Watney in '15. The junior's 18-under is the Nick Watney tournament record and is the second-best, 54-hole finish in program history to De Los Reyes' 19 under at in that WCC Championship.
It was the Gaels best finish since they came in third at last season's SMC Invite. It was their first tournament win since they finished tied for first at the El Macero Classic hosted by UC Davis in April of 2021, and they finished third as a team at the Nick Watney in February of that same season as well.
"This is the win our team has been waiting for," Head Coach Scott Hardy said. "We have the talent and our players have been working hard. To see it pay off and take home the trophy this week is very gratifying. I think it this has a chance to be the start of a lot of really strong golf and success for this group. We will get back to work and prepare to come out and play like this when we head to our next tournament at Cal."
The Claremont, Calif. native missed par only once over the three rounds this week, and racked up 19 birdies to lead all golfers. His 62 in round two edged out the 63s shot by Jonathan De Los Reyes, Mac McClung, and John Chirla for the SMC, single-round program record, with De Los Reyes' being the most recent in 2014. Reis had a good showing at last year's Nick Watney as well, finishing 16th as the top Gael at 2-under par.
"Absolutely solid play all tournament for Connor," Coach Hardy commented. "To make only one bogey the entire 54 holes is unbelievable. He set the tournament record with his 18-under par finish at a tourney that has as much history as any in college golf. It's been played since 1964 and the list of previous winners is loaded PGA Tour players and superstars like Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Nick Watney, and Craig Stadler. We couldn't be prouder of the way Connor performed this week."
Mitchell Hoey was playing as an individual and finished fourth overall with a very consistent tournament, shooting a 68, 67, and 67 over the three rounds to finish at 202 strokes and 11-under par. The 202 strokes tied him for third in program history with Robert McRae's 202 at the 2009 Del Walker Intercollegiate.
Kristian Bressum finished tied for 11th at 8-under par, and his 205 strokes tie him for sixth in program history over 54 holes. Sophomore Aidan Lee shot up the leaderboard on day three with a 67 in the third round to finish 3-under par at 210 strokes. James Watney also had a strong finish coming in 3-under par in round three with a 68 in his first appearance as a Gael, finishing at 214 strokes.
UP NEXT:
The Gaels will play in the Alister MacKenzie Invitational October 9-10 hosted by Cal at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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