After a promising start, the wheels fell off the bus in the final round for the University of Idaho men’s golf team.
Two rounds into the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate the Vandals stood at No. 14, but by the end of the 54-hole tournament in Palm Desert, Calif., Idaho dropped to No. 19 of 24 teams.
The Vandals’ three-day total of 898 was one stroke behind Cal Poly and 54 strokes behind tournament winner UNLV, which shot a 20-under 844.
One bright spot for Idaho came in the form of senior Jared Bossio, whose four-over 220 led the Vandals and put him in a tie for No. 44 in individual scoring after shooting rounds of 76-68-76.
Other Vandals found success on the California links as well, including Sean McMullen who finished in a tie for No. 59 and Justin Kadin who finished No. 83. McMullen had the team’s best opening round of the tournament shooting an even par 72, but followed that score with a 75 and 76 in the final two rounds. The low round for the Vandals came courtesy of Bossio ,who shot a four-under 68 in the second round.
Idaho’s No. 19 finish also placed it ahead of WAC opponent Hawaii, which finished No. 23, and Big-12 member Nebraska, which finished No. 21.
The Vandals will be back in action March 12 and 13 at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Prim, Calif.