Stags Claim Third-Straight SCIAC Championship
CHINO HILLS, Calif. – The No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's golf team closed out their third-straight SCIAC Championship on Tuesday with a round of one-under, 287 at Los Serranos Country Club. CMS finished 20 strokes ahead of Cal Lutheran on the week and a total of 33 strokes in front of the La Verne Leopards in the race for the SCIAC Championship.
Johnny Brandt (CMC) carded an even-par, 72 on the final day of the Tournament to finish at five-under for the week. Brandt was one shot back of the individual medalist, Jake Hollander (210, -6) from Redlands, who also shot even on Tuesday.
Round Three Update - Stags win by 20 strokes (286-282-287—855, -9)
Tuesday was the Stags most consistent round across the board. All six golfers on the course finished within one stroke of par resulting in a team score of one-under, 287 to wrap-up the Tournament. CMS claimed the 13th SCIAC Title in program history, winning by 33 strokes over second-place La Verne (2053). Redlands (2059), Cal Lutheran (2060), and Chapman (2096) rounded out the top-five in the SCIAC Title race.
Jonathan Shaw (CMC) was the only Stag to card a red number on Tuesday with a one-under, 71 in the closing round. Shaw made four birdies with two on the front along with seven pars for a two-under, 34 on the way out. On the back nine, two more birdies were joined by a bogey and a double to give the senior a round of one-under on the day. Shaw finished in a tie for third-place with Cameron Cooper from Redlands at even par for the tournament.
Three Stags finished the day at even-par, including Johnny Brandt who placed second in the Championship. Brandt began the tournament with a 68 (-4) on Sunday before carding a one-under, 71 on Monday. His round of even par was fueled by two birdies and an eagle on the 476-yard, par-five, 13th. Four bogies evened out his card and a lengthy birdie putt on the 18th hole came up just short. Brandt tapped in for par and finished in second place in the 48-golfer field.
Ken Kong (CMC) and Matt Shuman (CMC) also recorded rounds of par on Tuesday. Both made three birdies and three bogies in their rounds to finish at 72. Shuman finished in a tie for 10th place at four-over on the week while Kong ended his first SCIAC Championships at one-over, in a tie for fifth place.
Austin Long (CMC) and Alex Wrenn (CMC) each turned in rounds of one-over, 73. Long made three birdies on the day, but four bogies pushed him to one-over and he finished the tournament in 14th place at five-over. Wrenn made eight pars and one bogey on the front nine before making just two pars on his second nine. The back nine for Wrenn was colorful. He recorded four birdies, two bogies, and a double to finish in 36 strokes.
By claiming their 13th SCIAC Championship in program history, CMS earns the Automatic Qualifier (AQ) from the SCIAC to the NCAA National Championships at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. The Stags will take five players to the National Championships that run May 15-18.
Round Two Update - Stags lead by eight (286-282—568, -8)
After posting a two-under, 286 in the First Round of the SCIAC Championships, the No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's golf team only got better on Monday, posting a six-under, 282 to take an eight-stroke lead in the Tournament. Heading to the final round of SCIAC play, the Stags hold a 25-stroke lead over second-place Redlands as they chase for their third-straight and 13th overall SCIAC Championship.
Alex Wrenn (CMC) led the way for CMS with a three-under, 69 on Monday and was one of four Stags to finish in red numbers on the day. Matt Shuman (CMC), Johnny Brandt (CMC), and Ken Kong (CMC) each turned in rounds of one-under, 71 to give the Stags all four of their scoring rounds under par. Individually, all six of the Stags in action this week sit in the top-15 on the leaderboard heading into Tuesday's final round.
Alex Wrenn led the Stags with a three-under, 69 on Monday. He played a bit of an up and down day, carding seven birdies in the round, but made a pair of bogies and a double en route to a tie for the second-lowest round of the day. Wrenn started his round with a bogey on the second hole before putting three red numbers on the card in a span of four holes. He birdied the fourth, sixth, and seventh holes before ending the front nine with a double for an even-par, 36 on the front. Another birdie stretch followed on the back with Wrenn posting birdies on the 11th, 13th, and 14th holes. After a bogey on the 15th hole, Wrenn birdied the final hole of his round with a four on the 592-yard, par-five 18th hole.
Wrenn's round looks tame compared to the rollercoaster that Matt Shuman (CMC) went on during Monday's trip around the course. Shuman finished the second round with a solid, one-under, 71, but made just six pars in the process. The senior started his day off with three bogies in his first six holes, but ended the front nine, birdie-eagle-birdie to get down to one-under at the turn. Back-to-back bogies followed the turn before consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes moved him back under par once again. A par on the 14th was his first in eight holes, but a bogey on the 15th moved him back to even on the day. After consecutive pars for just the second time in his round, Shuman birdied the 18th hole to finish the day one-under and in a tie for 15th-place heading to the final round.
Johnny Brandt followed up his round of 68 on Sunday with a one-under, 71 on Monday, matching Shuman. Brandt made his 71 in a more traditional way, paring 15 of the 18 holes while making a pair of birdies and one bogey. Brandt pared the first and seventh holes and finished his round with nine-straight pars. Individually, he sits in second-place at five-under across the two days. He sits just one stroke back of Redlands' Jake Hollander, who shot a five-under, 67 on Monday to move into the top spot.
Ken Kong matched Shuman and Brandt's rounds of 71 (-1) on Monday. Kong made a pair of birdies on the first and eighth holes, but countered with two bogies on the front to make the turn with an even-par, 36. Kong made birdies on the 14th and 16th holes to get down to two-under, but bogied the 18th to end the day at one-under. After two rounds, Kong sits in a five-way tie for fifth-place at one-over.
After both shooting even on Sunday, Jonathan Shaw (CMC) and Austin Long (CMC) turned in rounds of 73 (+1) and 76 (+4), respectively. Heading to the final round, Shaw is tied with Kong for fifth-place at one-over and Long is level with Shuman in 15th at four-over.
As mentioned, the Stags litter the top third of the leaderboard heading into the final round. All six of the Stags in action this week are in the top-15 in the individual standings. No other team has more than three such golfers through two rounds of play.
In the Tournament, the Stags (-8) are holding just an eight-shot lead over Redlands, who sits in second-place at even par. CMS however holds a 25-stroke lead over the Bulldogs in the SCIAC Championship race, which combines all seven of the SCIAC Rounds played over the course of the season.
CMS will begin their tee times tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. The Stags are looking for their third-straight SCIAC Title and 13th in program history.
Round One Update - Stags lead by five (286, -2)
The Stags finished Day One of the SCIAC Championships strong with four of their six players birdieing the final hole to shoot a two-under, 286 as a team on Sunday afternoon to take a five-stroke lead in the tournament. CMS sits on top of the leaderboard overnight thanks to strong efforts from the entire line-up.
Individually, Johnny Brandt (CMC) leads the way in the 48-golfer field after shooting a four-under, 68 on Sunday. Brandt put together a flawless round that featured 14 pars and four birdies. Brandt went out in 33 with birdies on the first, seventh, and ninth holes before paring the first eight holes of the back nine. He finished with a birdie on the 18th, to cap off the stellar round. Brandt sits three shots clear of the next closest golfer.
The Stags finished the day with four rounds in the top 10 of the tournament and ended up throwing out scores of 75 and 77.
Both Jonathan Shaw (CMC) and Austin Long (CMC) finished their opening rounds at even par, but both took up and down roads to get there. Shaw birdied the second hole and remained one-under heading to the fifth tee after pars on three and four. He proceeded to bogey the fifth, seventh, and ninth, but did birdie the par-five eighth to make the turn at one-over. Three pars followed the turn before Shaw went to two-over with a bogey on the 13th. Shaw ended his day with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to get back to even on the day. He ended his round with four birdies, four bogeys, and 10 pars on the card.
Much like Shaw, Austin Long had an interesting route to his 72 (E) on Sunday. Long made three bogies on the front nine and made the turn at three-over, 39. He then made two birdies on his first four holes of the back nine to move to one-over. A bogey on the 15th was followed by a birdie on the 16th and he remained just one over par. A birdie on the 18th capped off the even-par round with four bogeys and four birdies for Long.
Ken Kong (CMC) got out of the gate hot with a birdie on the opening hole. He followed up the red number with bogies on the third and fifth holes before struggling in the sand on the sixth, making double bogey. Kong made the turn at three-over (39), but carded back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to get back to one-over. A bogey on the 15th and three pars ended the round with a two-over, 74 for the freshman. Kong currently sits in a three-way tie for 10th place.
Alex Wrenn (CMC) sits one stroke behind Kong after shooting a three-over, 75 on Sunday. Wrenn bogied four of his first six holes, but played his final 12 holes at one-under thanks to birdies on the seventh, eighth, 13th, and 15th.
Matt Shuman (CMC) bookended his day with birdies on his first and last holes. After Day One, Shuman sits in a seven-way tie for 28th at five-over (77).
The Stags currently hold a five-shot lead over the Redlands Bulldogs in the Tournament, but the SCIAC Champion will be determined based on the cumulative scores from all seven rounds in SCIAC play this season. As a result, the Stags currently hold an 18-stroke lead over La Verne and a 22-stroke lead over Redlands, overall.
