Redshirt freshman and reigning WAC golfer of the week, Sean McMullen continued to lead the Idaho men’s golf team at the Desert Shootout in Goodyear, Ariz., tying for No. 27 while the team finished at No. 11.
In Idaho’s third tournament of the spring season, the Vandals showed flashes of brilliance and areas that need improvement.
Wichita State won the tournament, shooting 836 through 54 holes. Wichita State entered the final round in third place, 16 strokes off the lead, but went on a terror in the tournament’s final round to pull out a victory for the school’s second tournament win in a week. Wichita State’s Rafael Becker won the tournament with a 202. BYU finished second by two strokes with an 838.
The Vandals came into the tournament fresh off a team tournament win March 13 at the Jackrabbit Invitational in California, but were unable to recreate the magic in Arizona, finishing No. 11 out of the 15-team field.
McMullen, who finished second at the Jackrabbit Invitational, continued to be a steady presence for Idaho and started the tournament on fire with a first round of 71. He followed it with a solid second round of 70, and entered the final round No. 11, but didn’t quite have the same form he had in the first two rounds. McMullen shot a 75 in the third round to fall to No. 27.
After the first round of the tournament, the Vandals were near the bottom in No. 13. Seniors Jarred Bossio and Stefan Richardson both had uncharacteristically poor first rounds, but managed to recover in the next two. Idaho climbed to No. 11 after the second round, and in the third Bossio shot a 68 and Richardson shot a 71 to help Idaho stay in a tie at No. 11 with Nebraska.
Bassio finished tied for No. 36, while Justin Kadin finished in No. 57. Richardson and senior Gordon Webb rounded out things for Idaho, both finishing tied for No. 72.
The Vandals will be back at it next week when they travel to San Marcos, Texas, for the Jim West Intercollegiate. The tournament will run Sunday to Tuesday and will be the second to last tournament before the WAC championships, which start April 30.
The Idaho men’s golf team could not be reached for comment.