El Macero Classic: Fast finish, playoff win for UC Davis

April 13, 2021 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

- UC Davis photo

The UC Davis Aggies caught fire late in the final round to catch Saint Mary's and settle it in the always-thrilling team playoff

Behind a pair of 4-under rounds of 68 turned in by Jacob Westberg and Thomas Hutchison, the UC Davis Aggies mounted a furious rally over the last 18 holes and clipped Saint Mary’s in a playoff to capture the El Macero Classic on Tuesday in Davis. The Aggies entered the final day tied for third place on the team leaderboard, five strokes behind 36-hole leader San Francisco and one back of Saint Mary’s. UC Davis dipped as low as fourth early in the final round before catching fire to finish at 7-under 281 for the day and 16-under for the tournament, forcing a playoff with the Gaels. The two teams played the par-five 18th with the Aggies coming out on top by a stroke to earn their first tournament title since 2015. San Francisco, which had won three straight events heading into the tournament, finished third at 14-under 850, while Fresno State (851) and Santa Clara (858) rounded out the top five. Matthew Sutherland of Fresno State, the nephew of PGA TOUR Champions star Kevin Sutherland, carded three sub-70 rounds to earn medalist honors with a 13-under score of 203 (68-66-69), good for an eight-shot victory over Santa Clara’s Matt McCarty and the first collegiate title of his career. Leading the Aggies’ back nine charge were Hutchison, Westberg and freshman Alejandro Nava, who combined for seven birdies on the inward half, including three on the final five holes, to catch Saint Mary’s. Hutchison tied for fourth at 7-under 209 while Westberg (t-6; 210) and Nava (t-10; 212) also earned top-10 finishes. Westberg’s 4-under 210 marked a career best. UC Davis’ next action will come at the Big West Championships, May 2-4 at the LaQuinta (Calif.) Country Club.

Results: El Macero Classic

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Matthew Sutherland	Carmichael, CA	400	68-66-69=203
2	Matt McCarty	Scottsdale, AZ	300	70-68-67=205
3	Tommy Stephenson	Carlsbad, CA	200	73-65-70=208
T4	Jose Suryadinata	, Indonesia	200	74-67-68=209
T4	Thomas Hutchison	San Jose, CA	200	72-69-68=209