CARMEL, Calif. — Reed Arnaldo closed with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday to finish fourth at The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate, a career-best finish that carried the University of San Diego men's golf team from seventh place into a three-way tie for third in its fall finale at The Preserve Golf Club.
The sophomore's 9-under 135 over the final 36 holes was the lowest in the 68-player field, and it came after an opening 2-over 74 had left him tied for 50th. His 6-under 66 in the second round matched the low score of that round, and his 69 on Tuesday tied for the second-best round of the final day, leaving him at 7-under 209 (74-66-69), one stroke clear of a five-way tie for fifth.
San Diego shot 281-284-285 for a 14-under 850 and shared third with West Coast Conference rivals Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. The Toreros began the final round seventh at 11 under, and their closing 3-under 285 was second only to champion Oregon's 282 among the day's team scores, moving them up four spots. USD, Oregon and Santa Clara were the only teams in the 11-team field to break par in all three rounds.
The tie for third is the Toreros' best finish of the fall and one spot better than their fourth-place showing at the Cal Poly-hosted event a year ago.
Juniors Brady Clark and Cooper Humphreys opened with matching 4-under 68s to tie for sixth after 18 holes. Clark led USD at 5 under through 36 holes and finished tied for 13th at 4-under 212 (68-71-73), while Humphreys closed with a 1-under 71 to tie for 18th at 3-under 213 (68-74-71).
Sophomore Reid Piron tied for 35th at 2-over 218 (72-73-73), and senior You Seong Choi rebounded from a second-round 81 with an even-par 72 that counted toward the team score in the final round, finishing tied for 59th at 10-over 226 (73-81-72).
Saint Mary's Sam Baumuller won medalist honors by five strokes at 14-under 202 (65-66-71). Oregon erased a seven-shot deficit on the final day, shooting 6-under 282 to take the team title at 23-under 841, two strokes ahead of defending champion BYU.
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The Toreros open their spring schedule at The Prestige, hosted by UC Davis, Monday, Feb. 15, through Wednesday, Feb. 17, at PGA West's Greg Norman Course in La Quinta.
