Cal Poly Invitational: Defending champions Ohio State lead after Day One

October 30, 2023 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Cal Poly Invitational (The Preserve Golf Club Photo)

Round Two was suspended halfway through due to darkness.

Something about the Preserve Golf Club brings out the best in the Buckeyes.

After a round and a half, the 2022 Cal Poly Invitational champions Ohio State Buckeyes lead at 14-under, one shot better than UCLA.

The teams were supposed to play 36 holes on Monday, but due to darkness, most teams only made it through half of the second round.

Trailing Ohio State and Oregon is Oregon at 9-under in third place, and USC and Oregon State are T4 at 3-under.

In the individual competition, Maxwell Moldovan and Neal Shipley of Ohio State are in first and second place at 8-under and 6-under, respectively.

Daniel Heo of California and Nate Stember of Oregon are T3 at 5-under.

PREVIEW

For the second straight season, the Cal Poly Invitational will take place at The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel, Calif., hosted by the Cal Poly Mustangs.

14 teams will descend on the beautiful course from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31 for the 54-hole tournament.

Ohio State won the inaugural tournament and will be back to defend its title. Ohio State's Adam Wallin and Oregon's Owen Avrit shared medalist honors at 10-under

TEAMS

Duke, Oregon, California, Colorado State, Jacksonville, UCLA, Northwestern, Oregon State, San Diego, San Francisco, USC, SMU, Toledo, and the 2022 defending champions, Ohio State

FORMAT

The golfers will play 36 holes on Monday, Oct. 30, and 18 holes on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Prior to Monday's 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, the Collegiate-Amateur tournament takes place on Sunday, Oct. 29. The event serves as a practice round for tournament entrants, who will be pair alongside amateur players for the 18-hole warmup.

THE PRESERVE

The Preserve Golf Club is located within the Santa Lucia Preserve, a private community of only 297 home sites situated on 20,000 acres. Located on the southern ridge of Carmel Valley, the course reflects the contours of the natural terrain surrounding it: The Santa Lucia Mountains, mature oaks, grassy meadows, and flowing streams.

In typical Fazio fashion, there are plenty of strategically placed deep bunkers, fast greens, and challenging approach shots. The Santa Lucia Preserve is the only community in America with a perpetually endowed 18,000-acre nature conservancy.

In the heart of the Monterey Peninsula, The Santa Lucia Preserve provides its residents and members with a range of recreational opportunities second to none while offering a unique ethos of community, culture, and conservation.

For additional information on The Preserve Golf Club or Santa Lucia Preserve, access the website at santaluciapreserve.com.

LAST YEAR

Ohio State made the most out of its journey to the West Coast as the Buckeyes came away with the team and individual titles.

The Buckeyes entered the final round eight shots behind Northwestern but managed to shoot a final round of even-par 288 to finish at 19-under 845, which was good for a three-stroke win over its Big 10 rival.

Ohio State's Adam Wallin and Oregon's Owen Avrit shared medalist honors at 10-under 206, as both players picked up their second career individual titles.

Related: CO-MEDALIST ADAM WALLIN LEADS OHIO STATE TO CAL POLY INVITATIONAL TITLE

SCHEDULE

Sunday, Oct. 29: Collegiate/Amateur (11:30 a.m.)
Monday, Oct. 30: Rounds 1 & 2 (8:30 shotgun)
Tuesday, Oct. 31: Round 3 (8:30 shotgun)

Results: Cal Poly Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Kuangyu (Tony) Chen	, China	600	75-66-65=206
2	Omar Morales	, Mexico	400	70-68-69=207
T3	Alexandre Vandermoten	, France	300	73-67-68=208
T3	Gregory Solhaug	, Norway	300	70-68-70=208
T3	Luke Powell	Laguna Niguel, CA	300	70-66-72=208