By Jordan Newby
The Long Beach State men’s golf team ended the Visit Stockton Pacific Intercollegiate shooting eight under par, finishing fifth place Wednesday.
“I thought we didn’t have our best,” head coach Michael Wilson said. “We put ourselves in contention, basically three really great chances this fall. One time we were there in second place and fell off a little bit, but I think this is all good experience to have early on in the year.”
Freshman Owen Avrit and sophomore Tyler Schafer led the Beach, both shooting 2 under par and finished tied for ninth place. The Beach tied for second place overall with BYU after day two on Tuesday.
Senior Hunter Epson shot evenly after round two and continued to battle back, finishing the tournament 6 under par, concluding the tournament tied for fifth on Wednesday.
“Hunter definitely put the team on his back, he played great,” Wilson said.
San Jose State won the tournament by shooting 16 under par.
“I’m pleased to have such a young roster with four freshman, three sophmores, and two seniors,” Wilson said.
Long Beach looks to carry the experience they gained this fall over to next semester starting at the Arizona Intercollegiate Jan. 28.
“It was good to see the freshman come out and win our first event,” Wilson said. “If you can put yourself into contention and put yourself in the arena and experience it, you’re going to have an edge later on…especially for our younger guys…having that experience now in their first year is massive.”
