Santa Barbara, CA - It was an uphill battle from the jump for the Menlo Men's Golf team in the final round of the Westmont Invitational at Sandpiper Golf Club.  Starting the round with an eleven stroke deficit, the Oaks had their eyes on the prize and left everything they had on the course.  
 

Seniors Steal the Spotlight

Having the lowest score of the final round for the Oaks was Senior from West London Jack Stark.  After shooting a 75 in the first round, Stark came out in the final round and shot lights out; finishing with an even par on the round.  The 72 did not come easy for Stark but he had some spectacular holes to count for.  Starting on hole 10, Stark came out firing with two birdies through the first four holes.  In addition to these two birdies, Stark was also able to add another eagle to his name after he pitched it up and in from 30 yards away from the pin.

After struggling in the first round of the tournament, French Senior Paul Hautbourg had a bounceback day.  Shooting a 73 in the final round, Hautbourg was pleased to show what he is truly capable of.  As a result of dialed approach shots and some great putts, he was able to log four birdies on his scorecard.  Hautbourg finished the tournament tied for 20th and was a total nine over par.

Nicolas-Guy Landry, a Senior residing from Canada, also had a huge bounceback day for the Oaks.  Landry shot two over par today, 74, and also had a total of four birdies in the final round.  He was smooth today on the green having had 34 putts, and was also lights out from off the tee box.  Whenever Landry was put in a tough spot, he showed a lot of resilience and was able to battle out of the jam and walk away clean.

Coach Ryan Stefko said, "Although we didn't get the result we came for, we learned a lot about ourselves internally and mentally.  We also need to be more consistent and have a more go after it mindset each day and even during the practice round.  These findings will benefit us for next week and going forward."
 

Up Next

The Menlo Men's Golf team has another quick turnaround as they will participate in the Vanguard Invitational next weekend in Beaumont, CA.  This will be the final tournament of the Fall season for the Oaks and they are looking to have a bounceback tournament and obtain the result they are looking for.