Men's golf shoots tournament-low final round at Tucker Invitational

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Northern Colorado men's golf team shot its best round of the William H. Tucker Invitational Saturday to finish in 15th at the Championship Golf Course.

The Bears shot a tournament-low 305 (+17) in the final round and finished with a combined score of 925 (+61).

"We did a good job of cutting down some of the mistakes we have been making all fall," Northern Colorado coach Chuck Scheinost said. "But we also made a lot of mistakes in other areas. We have to find some consistency, that's what we've been struggling with so far."

Individually, the young Northern Colorado squad was led, once again, by freshmen Steven Kupcho, who finished in a tie for 24th. He opened up his tournament strong with a 1-over par 73 and finished with back-to-back 3-over par 75s to wrap up a combined score of 223 (+7). Kupcho has already led the Bears in scoring in three tournaments.

Sophomore Jake Hutton finished in a tie for 41st. He put together a solid 1-over par 73 in the first round and a 3-over par 75 in the final round, but was hindered by a 7-over par 79 in the second round.

Ben Krueger, another sophomore, bounced back from a rough first day, in which he shot an 11-over par 83 and 8-over par 80, to shot a 2-over par 74 in the final round to finish in a tie for 78th.

The elder statesman of the Bears' roster, junior Kevin Collignon, shot a three-round score of 241 (+25), while freshmen Kyle Fanning rounded out the scoring with a combined score of 245 (+29).

UNLV took home the tournament title with a combined score of 867 (+3). New Mexico (+7), San Diego State (+19), Arizona (+21) and North Texas (+21) rounded out the top-five.

BYU's Zachary Blair earned medalist honors after putting together a three-round score of 209 (-7). New Mexico's James Erkenbeck (-3), UNLV's Derek Ernst (-1), North Texas's Carlos Ortiz (-1) and UNLV's Kevin Penner (+0) all finished in the top-five.

"This was the hardest course we've played so far," Scheinost said. "There was championship pin placement and thick rough. It was a good test for us and it's going to help prepare us down for the road. Hopefully, we can take from this and apply it in these last two tournaments."

The Bears won't have much time to reflect on their tournament, as they head to Manhattan, Kan. to play in the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate beginning on Monday, Oct. 3. With just two tournaments remaining in their fall slate, the Bears will be looking to head into the winter months with a good taste in their mouths.