Long Beach State Wins Big West Championship
Todd Saukkola Wins Individual Title With Playoff Victory
April 27, 2004 RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA-- The Long Beach State men's golf team captured the 2004 Big West Conference Men's Golf Championship on Tuesday at the Tijeras Creek Golf Course. The Beach, which shot a five-under-par 283 in the third round, won the tournament title by winning a team playoff over UC Riverside.
At the end of three rounds the 49ers and UC Riverside were tied at 864, forcing a team playoff to determine the league champion. On the first hole the 49ers recorded three pars and two bogeys, while UCR had two pars and three bogeys. With the victory the 49ers receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which begin May 20 and run through May 22.
"We thought we had lost by one shot," commented 49er Head Coach Bob Livingstone. "There was a mistake on one of the reported scores earlier on and we found out at the end of our round that we were now going to be in a playoff. We got a second wind in the playoff. It was very hot and it was a very tough day, but I'm really proud of the way we finished strong. We had three guys birdie the 17th hole, and that was a turning point. I'm proud of the way we held it together."
Besides winning the league title, the 49ers also had an individual win a title. Sophomore Todd Saukkola (Orange) shot a seven-under-par 209 (70-71-68) for three rounds, tying him for first place with UC Irvine's Vinnie Poncino (68-71-70). Saukkola captured the individual title by winning on the second playoff hole. The individual title is the first for a 49er since Bob Summers accomplished the feat in 1983.
The 49ers also got strong performances up and down its lineup. Redshirt freshman Brett Lederer (Lakewood) tied for seventh place overall with a 215 (71-76-68) and freshman Jeremy Keller (Las Vegas, NV) tied for 11th place after shooting a 217 (72-73-72).
The 49ers also placed Lederer on the all-conference first team, while Saukkola earned honorable mention all-league accolades.
TEAM SCORES | 1. Long Beach State** | 287 | 294 | 283 | 864 | | 1. UC Riverside | 286 | 293 | 285 | 864 | | 3. CS Northridge | 293 | 298 | 283 | 874 | | 4. UC Santa Barbara | 288 | 297 | 294 | 879 | | 5. Pacific | 292 | 285 | 304 | 881 | | 6. Idaho | 289 | 304 | 292 | 885 | | 7. Cal Poly | 287 | 302 | 297 | 886 | | 8. UC Irvine | 292 | 300 | 295 | 887 | | 9. Utah State | 317 | 313 | 301 | 931 |
LONG BEACH STATE RESULTS
| 1. Long Beach State | 287 | 294 | 283 | 864 | | 1. Todd Saukkola | 70 | 71 | 68 | 209 | | T7. Brett Lederer | 71 | 76 | 68 | 215 | | T11. Jeremy Keller | 72 | 73 | 72 | 217 | | T28. Torey Edwards | 74 | 74 | 79 | 227 | | 32. Ryan Wood | 77 | 77 | 75 | 229 |
TOP SCORES
| 1. Todd Saukkola** | Long Beach State | 70 | 71 | 68 | 209 | | 1. Vinnie Poncino | UC Irvine | 68 | 71 | 70 | 209 | | 3. Brad Uptgraft | CS Northridge | 71 | 75 | 66 | 212 | | 4. Doug Miller | CS Northridge | 73 | 71 | 69 | 213 | | 4. Chris Wells | Pacific | 71 | 68 | 74 | 213 | | 6. Travis Bertoni | Cal Poly | 68 | 74 | 72 | 214 | | 7. Brendan Steele | UC Riverside | 70 | 75 | 70 | 215 | | 7. Brandon Hillpot | UC Riverside | 71 | 73 | 71 | 215 | | 7. Brett Lederer | Long Beach State | 71 | 76 | 68 | 215 | | 10. Matt Kern | Pacific | 72 | 72 | 72 | 216 |
FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG WEST
Travis Bertoni, Cal Poly
Brett Lederer, Long Beach State
Troy McKinley, Pacific
Vinnie Poncino, UC Irvine
Brendan Steele, UC Riverside
Brad Uptgraft, CS Northridge
SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG WEST
Jay Choe, UC Irvine
Brandon Hillpot, UC Riverside
Doug Miller, CS Northridge
Pete Sisich, CS Northridge
Brian Six, UCSB
Player of the Year: Travis Bertoni, Cal Poly
Coach of the Year: Paul Hjulberg, UC Riverside
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