If there was any question as to who would step up in Jared du Toit’s absence after he bolted for Arizona State this summer, Jacob Scarrow answered them earlier this week in Suncadia, Washington, at the Husky Invitational.
The freshman from British Columbia, Canada, fired a tournament-low 66 in the third and final round to finish at 6-over-par 219, and tied for 12th when it was all said and done.
All together, the Idaho men’s golf team finished 26-over-par 878, and tied for fifth in the Husky Invitational field. Tournament host Washington finished in a tie for first with Oregon. Both shot 13-over-par 865.
“I told them that this team was going to be as good or better than last year’s team, and this is life without Jared,” Idaho coach John Means said. “And they responded by all being in the hunt … That’s what we have to do, they all have to be in the hunt individually.”
Means said Scarrow found success with his short game on the Tumble Creek golf course.
“Jake is old for his years,” Means said. “His course management skills are really good. He chipped in three times in the tournament, that’s stealing shots from the field … He’s going to be a very, very talented Vandal.”
The four teams that finished ahead of the Vandals were no slouches either.
Both UW and UO finished ranked in the top 20 last season, according to golfstat.com. Oregon State, which finished third, was the No. 74-ranked team and Southern California, which finished fourth, finished last season as the No. 6 team in the nation.
“It’s always nice when you can compete and win against Pac-12 schools, especially since they are consistently ranked in the top 25 in the nation,” Means said.
Things don’t get any easier for the Vandals, as they only got one day off and starts play Friday in the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Burlington, Iowa.
Means said he isn’t in favor of the way he set up the schedule in the early season for his team.
“I don’t like having a day off and then go and play again,” Means said. “I would rather have a week off. But you can’t turn down an opportunity to play against a field like this.”
The tournament features the No. 5-ranked team in the country, Louisiana State, and the No. 22-ranked team, Southern Methodist.
Means said the course in Iowa should be easier than the mountain course Idaho played on at the Husky Invitational. He said it should be fairly flat, but expects it to be lined with a lot of trees.
“It will demand good ball striking, which we are a really good ball striking team,” Means said. “As long as we go and post scores like people should, it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @KorbinMcD_VN