Trojans look to get back on track at Barona Cup


By
 in ,

Following an eighth-place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters Tournament last week, the USC men’s golf team looks for brighter prospects as it competes in the Barona Collegiate Cup on Thursday and Friday.

The tournament, held at Barona Creek Golf Course in Lakeside, Calif., will be hosted by San Diego State University and features 16 teams. Among the squads the Trojans will face are fellow Pac-12 rivals Arizona and Utah.

Bumpy road · Senior Steve Lim and the Trojans have skidded to a halt after success at the beginning of spring. They have yet to get back on track. - Photo courtesy of Sports Information

After a strong opening to the spring season, which featured back-to-back second-place finishes at the Hawaii Big Island Invitational and the San Diego Intercollegiate Classic, the Trojans have struggled to maintain such a start in recent play.

After a loss to Oregon at the Del Walker Match Play in Long Beach, Calif., in late February, the team finished eighth at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas.

Senior Steven Lim achieved the best individual result, finishing at 3-over-par 219 and tying for 11th place.

The standing marked the fourth top-13 finish of the season for Lim, who opened the final round with 12-straight pars, then shot a double bogey on the final hole that kept him from the top 10.

Sophomore Jeffrey Kang posted a team-best score of 1-over-par 73 on the final day, recording a 1-over-par on the front nine before coming in even on the back nine. Kang finished 32nd with a final score of 9-over-par 225.

Freshman Anthony Paolucci finished tied for 33rd at 10-over-par 226, sophomore Ramsey Sahyoun tied for 48th at 13-over-par 229, and junior Martin Trainer tied for 56th at 15-over-par 231.

Following the short, two-day tournament, the Trojans will have a week off before participating in the U.S. Intercollegiate Tournament at Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, Calif., March 30-April 1, where they will seek their second victory of the season.