Sunday, April 30
La Quinta, Calif.
Long Beach State University
at
Big West Championships (First Round)
Long Beach State Ready to Begin Action at The Big West Men’s Golf Championship on Sunday
4/28/2023 12:55:00 PM | Men's Golf
With a No. 58 ranking, the Beach enter the conference championship as the highest ranked squad in The Big West
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Long Beach State Men's Golf team will tee off at The Big West Men's Golf Championship on Sunday, April 30. The three-day tournament, which takes place at the La Quinta Country Club, in La Quinta, Calif., will conclude on Tuesday, May 2 with the winner earning the automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, and the individual medalist, if not a member of the winning team, also earning his place in the regional field.
The Beach, which are ranked No. 58 in the Golfstat.com rankings, are the highest ranked squad among all Big West competition, in which No. 97 Cal State Fullerton comes in second behind LBSU. The top three teams in The Big West – LBSU, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Davis – will tee off at 10 a.m., while the next three teams – CSUN, UC Irvine, and Hawaii – will tee off at 10:50 a.m., followed by the last three squads – Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Riverside – at 11:40 a.m.
Long Beach State will send their lineup of No. 16 Ian Gilligan, Isaac Rodea, Jaden Huggins, Jack Cantlay, and Steven Deutsch to the green, with Bryce Kvick serving as an alternate. The Beach has turned in an excellent season thus far posting half a dozen Top 5 finishes including a tournament title at the Nick Watney Invitational in the fall.
Gilligan has been the Beach's top golfer all year as the sophomore from Reno, Nev., has won three individual tournament titles, while boasting seven Top 10 finishes. He is averaging a conference-low 68.85 stroke average over 26 rounds of action this season. He fired a career-best 61 in the first round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate to set a new course record. He would go on to finish the tournament with a career-low 199 for 17-under par. On the year, Gilligan has fired a 199 over three rounds twice to tie the program's low 54-hole score.
Rodea, a senior out of Torrey Pines, Calif., will tee off second as he owns a 72.27 stroke average on the year. He is coming off of his second-best performance of the season as he fired a 67-78-70 for a 1-under par 215 at the El Macero Classic for a Top 20 finish. Rodea's best showing of the season came at the Nick Watney Invitational where he finished fifth after shooting 68-69-66 for a 10-under 203.
In the third spot for the Beach is Huggins, who is a freshman from Murrieta, Calif. Huggins has seen action in 26 rounds this season and has a 73.23 stroke average. He turned in his top performance of the season at the Nick Watney Invitational as he finished in 15th place with a three-under 210 after shooting 73-67-70. His second round 67 is a season-low for the rookie.
The Beach will turn to another freshman in Jack Cantlay to take the fourth spot in the lineup. The product out of Servite High School has turned in a solid rookie campaign thus far. His stroke average of 72.74 over 23 rounds is good for third on the team. Cantlay posted his highest finish, a tie for third place, at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate where he shot 68-74-65 for a 9-under 207 as the Beach's top finisher. He had an impressive second-round showing at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate as he fired a season-low 65 on his way to an 8-under par 208 eighth place showing.
Rounding out the Long Beach State lineup is sophomore Steven Deutsch. The Chula Vista, Calif., native has played in 17 rounds this season and owns a stroke average of 73.24. While competing as an individual at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate, Deutsch fired a 70-73-69 for a score of 212 for 4-under par performance as he finished in a tie for seventh place.
As a team, Long Beach State has won The Big West Golf Championship three times in 1973, 2004, and 2021. The Beach have had eight individual champions with Brett Lederer winning most recently in 2007 with a 204.
Fans can follow all The Big West Men's Golf Championship action via GolfStat.com.
The Beach, which are ranked No. 58 in the Golfstat.com rankings, are the highest ranked squad among all Big West competition, in which No. 97 Cal State Fullerton comes in second behind LBSU. The top three teams in The Big West – LBSU, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Davis – will tee off at 10 a.m., while the next three teams – CSUN, UC Irvine, and Hawaii – will tee off at 10:50 a.m., followed by the last three squads – Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Riverside – at 11:40 a.m.
Long Beach State will send their lineup of No. 16 Ian Gilligan, Isaac Rodea, Jaden Huggins, Jack Cantlay, and Steven Deutsch to the green, with Bryce Kvick serving as an alternate. The Beach has turned in an excellent season thus far posting half a dozen Top 5 finishes including a tournament title at the Nick Watney Invitational in the fall.
Gilligan has been the Beach's top golfer all year as the sophomore from Reno, Nev., has won three individual tournament titles, while boasting seven Top 10 finishes. He is averaging a conference-low 68.85 stroke average over 26 rounds of action this season. He fired a career-best 61 in the first round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate to set a new course record. He would go on to finish the tournament with a career-low 199 for 17-under par. On the year, Gilligan has fired a 199 over three rounds twice to tie the program's low 54-hole score.
Rodea, a senior out of Torrey Pines, Calif., will tee off second as he owns a 72.27 stroke average on the year. He is coming off of his second-best performance of the season as he fired a 67-78-70 for a 1-under par 215 at the El Macero Classic for a Top 20 finish. Rodea's best showing of the season came at the Nick Watney Invitational where he finished fifth after shooting 68-69-66 for a 10-under 203.
In the third spot for the Beach is Huggins, who is a freshman from Murrieta, Calif. Huggins has seen action in 26 rounds this season and has a 73.23 stroke average. He turned in his top performance of the season at the Nick Watney Invitational as he finished in 15th place with a three-under 210 after shooting 73-67-70. His second round 67 is a season-low for the rookie.
The Beach will turn to another freshman in Jack Cantlay to take the fourth spot in the lineup. The product out of Servite High School has turned in a solid rookie campaign thus far. His stroke average of 72.74 over 23 rounds is good for third on the team. Cantlay posted his highest finish, a tie for third place, at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate where he shot 68-74-65 for a 9-under 207 as the Beach's top finisher. He had an impressive second-round showing at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate as he fired a season-low 65 on his way to an 8-under par 208 eighth place showing.
Rounding out the Long Beach State lineup is sophomore Steven Deutsch. The Chula Vista, Calif., native has played in 17 rounds this season and owns a stroke average of 73.24. While competing as an individual at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate, Deutsch fired a 70-73-69 for a score of 212 for 4-under par performance as he finished in a tie for seventh place.
As a team, Long Beach State has won The Big West Golf Championship three times in 1973, 2004, and 2021. The Beach have had eight individual champions with Brett Lederer winning most recently in 2007 with a 204.
Fans can follow all The Big West Men's Golf Championship action via GolfStat.com.
Players Mentioned
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