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SECOND THRICE
Even in bad movies the plot changes from time to time. Sometimes a little success, sometimes a little adversity… as far as the Big West Championship is concerned for the Pacific Tigers it’s time for a new script; they’ve been on the same page for three years.
It was only fitting the Hollywood sign be visible through the smog of the Southern California afternoon as the Tigers limped their way to their third straight runner-up finish as the Big West Championship yesterday in Los Angeles. For a slow-starting season that rose with a great crescendo in the Fall on the back of a Pacific Invitational title and then a red-hot Spring that saw the Tigers run off seven straight top-four finishes this Championship was all scripted to be a great closing scene. But somewhere on the way to the teams’ first Big West Championship in over a decade someone called for a rewrite.
Only three shots separated the Tigers from eventual champion UC Davis following the first round – but that would grow to eight by the end of the first day. Pacific fired an opening round of 291 and second round 293 but head coach Brandon Goethals would get no marquee individual performance from any of his players to give the Tigers a shot at toppling the Aggies. While seniors TJ Bordeaux, Alex Johnson and Patrick Kucich, all playing in their fourth Big West Championship, would shoot just a combined two-over in the first round it would get only worse from there on out.
Bordeaux, the Tigers leader all season would slip in the second round with a 75 while Kucich and Alex Edfort tried to right the ship with even-par 72’s but Pacific would still take an eight-shot deficit into the final round on Tuesday. That final round proved to be more of the same for the Tigers as they desperately tried to make up shots – falling only deeper back in the pack as Bordeaux struggled with an 80 and Johnson, Edfort and Kucich contributed a combined +12 in the final frame.
Kucich would take the top honors for the Tigers with a fourth-place individual finish, ten shots back of medalist Austin Graham of UC Davis. Edfort and Johnson would tie for seventh at +6 while Bordeaux claimed 16th place and Danny Garcia took home 28th.
But maybe the story doesn’t end there.
With their blistering hot streak dating back to their win in November the Tigers have positioned themselves on the inside track for an at-large postseason bid into the NCAA Regionals on May 9th. A Big West Championship would have secured an automatic bid but now it’s a waiting game for the Tigers to see if their body of work throughout the entire season will hold up in the rankings.
The book hasn’t closed on the 2011 Pacific Tigers just yet – but it may be down to the final scene. Only time will tell if the Tigers get to rewrite their destiny, and pen the final chapter themselves.
STEADY EDDIE KEEPS TIGERS READY
Maybe it was only fitting that he had a chance encounter with NCAA basketball Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette in Provo, Utah this past week. After all, Fredette had been putting up individual performances for the ages all year for the Cougars while leading his team to success in the process. Which, ironically enough, was exactly what Alex Edfort accomplished this past weekend with a career-best runner-up individual finish; leading the Tigers to third place overall at the BYU Cougar Classic.
Edfort's ten-under par (206) at Riverside Country Club was evidence of a strong Pacific team that is poised to make a serious postseason run. But it was much more then that on Saturday. Playing in the number four spot for Pacific all year he also made a case for depth, proving that the Tigers are more than just a star at the top and some guys chipping in. His runner-up finish (that took a hometown 65 by BYU's Zac Blair to edge him out) showed if there's to be a championship next to Pacific's name this year it's going to be by committee.
While the New Jersey-native was clearly the force behind the Tigers seventh straight top-five finish of the season Pacific got top-20's from both TJ Bordeaux (73-70-74) and Alex Johnson (77-68-72) while Danny Garcia and Patrick Kucich finished in 32nd and 62nd. Colorado State took the team title with a 847 and UNLV climbed the leaderboard late to edge out the Tigers by six-strokes.
The Tigers are a staggering 77-10 since the middle of October during which that time includes a team victory at the Pacific Invitational, an individual victory by both TJ Bordeaux and Alex Johnson and nearly a third thanks to Edfort. Such a stronger case for a postseason at-large bid could hardly be made by any other program in the country as committees traditionally abide not by the season-as-a-whole basis as much as the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately theory.
So while a postseason at-large bid is nearly secure the Tigers know better than anyone that nothing is guaranteed in the college golf world. Climbing from the bottom up has been no easy task over the past four years as Goethals' first recruiting class closes out their college careers over the next month. Should the Tigers fulfill expectations in the coming weeks one could easily point back at numerous points over the past year that set the stage for a much anticipated postseason run this May but smart money says that any great success isn't just found in recent weeks - it's built on throughout the years.
Just ask the Jimmer.
STILL ROLLING...
If you've been keeping track it's been quite some time since a top-five finish for the Pacific Golf team looked like something you'd like to use a mulligan on. However, the Tigers' fourth place showing at Santa Barbara this weekend smacked of disappointment when less than a year ago that type of finish would be somewhat celebrated.
While it's true that expectations raise the bar, so does success. And for the Tigers that bar has been raised thanks to a string of tournaments where the team has done no worse than fourth place dating back to last October. While the OGIO at Sandpiper GC this past week has did not move the Tigers forward it certainly didn't move them back.
Senior Alex Johnson continued his stellar stroke play with an eighth place finish for Pacific while Patrick Kucich logged a final round 72 to finish 19th and TJ Bordeaux followed close behind at 20th. Junior Danny Garcia contributed a 54-hole total of 229 while Alex Edfort missed out on his fourth straight top-20 finish for the season.
"We struggled like I've never seen before as a team," said head coach Brandon Goethals. "It was kind of like the lights were out for everyone but this team has shown time and time again this season that it won't give up. That's huge for our post-season consideration."
Hanging on was virtually the only option for the rest of the field as the University of Oregon jumped out to finish with an unchallenged 27-stroke victory over the rest of the tournament. Host Santa Barbara cruised in for second place at their home tournament while Fresno State edged out the Tigers for the third spot.
Regardless of looking at the OGIO Intercollegiate as half-full or half-empty for the Tigers you'd have to crack open the history books to find a stretch like this one for the Pacific Golf team. In fact, excluding the annual nine-team Big West Championships, it would take all of 2008, 2009 and 2010 to total up this many top finishes for the Tigers. So heading into the final tournament of the season, the BYU Cougar Classic, one must ask the question. How much more is in store?
TIGER'S ROLL #3 TIDE AT CALLAWAY MATCH-PLAY
It might not have been the One Shining Moment they were hoping for heading into the tournament but the Pacific Golf team sure found a way to close out the week in stunning fashion as they defeated #3 Alabama in the secondary bracket of the Collegiate Match Play Championship.
Opening round play in the 16-team bracket at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Atlanta saw the Tigers fall 3-1-1 to Texas A&M with their only victory coming at the hands of TJ Bordeaux's 1-up win over All-American Jordan Russell. Pacific bounced back in the afternoon however, defeating Baylor 3-2 thanks to victories by Bordeaux, Patrick Kucich and Dan Garcia.
The Tigers' Monday match-up against Georgia continued the rollercoaster week as Pacific fell 5-0 to the nation's 15th ranked team. However, the tide (pun intended) would turn again on Tuesday morning asthe Tigers put together one of their most inspired rounds in program history - grinding out a 4-0-1 win over highly ranked Alabama.
"To think that five years ago we were ranked #256 in the nation and this week we whipped one of the most powerful golf programs in the country... it's pretty special," said head coach Brandon Goethals. "This is one of the biggest wins in recent Pacific Golf history; I really hope people realize what these young men are accomplishing."
While Garcia surrendered an early 2-up lead to go down late in the match he battled back with a birdie on the par-5 13th to earn the Tigers first point of the match over Scott Strohmeyer. Then it was Kucich who was down through 11 holes who climbed back to tie the match at 18 and win on the 19th hole as Alex Edfort made short work of Hunter Hamrick 4&3.
Fresno Lexus Classic champion Alex Johnson also got down early in his match against Cory Whitsett but rebounded on his 18th hole with a par to tie it up and half the point. And again it was TJ Bordeaux, who finished the Collegiate Championship with a 3-1 record, who took down the nation's 12th ranked player Bud Cauley in 19-hole to clinch the record setting victory for the Tigers. Despite being 3-down early on, Bordeaux quickly made up the slack on the back-nine and tied things up on his 14th hole before winning five holes later.
#10 seeded Duke cruised through the bracket with wins over #7 Texas, Eastern Tennessee State and Southern Cal enroute to a 4-1 championship victory over Illinois in the finals. The Tigers are back in action on Monday, March 28th at the Igio Intercollegiate in Santa Barbara, California.
JOHNNY ON THE SPOT
They say the first one is always the hardest; that first taste of success because you've worked so hard to achieve it. Well, these days for the Pacific Golf team that success isn't just a specialty item. It's being served daily.
While the Tigers took home second place in the prestigious Fresno State Lexus Classic the week clearly belonged to senior Alex Johnson. And, of course, his putter. Because while Johnson carved up Sunnyside for a second round 66 and a two-shot lead entering the final round it was his putter that helped him etch his name on the same trophy that holds the name of another Arizona resident, Phil Mickelson.
Holding his lead entering the final round Johnson would receive resistance from only UC Irvine's Bryan Harris. Playing even golf through the first 12 holes Johnson would surrender that lead on the par 3 13th with a double bogey five. Harris' lead would be short lived however as he would bogey 16 while Johnson got home in two and sank a birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff and secure the Tigers with a second place team finish.
But the drama, no pun intended to Johnson's Entourage moniker, would just start unfolding as the sudden death playoff reached extra holes. A four-foot slider for par would keep him alive on three but Alex would need a 28-footer to extend the match on the fourth. Then he finally drove home the victory on the fifth playoff hole with a 32-foot bomb that secured his first win since the 2009 Bill Cullum Intercollegiate.
"I'm so happy for Johnson," said head coach Brandon Goethals. "He really stayed patient and smart the entire tournament; that finish was ridiculous."
And while the victory goes to Johnson the Tigers team success would not be without the efforts of Danny Garcia's back-nine 33 that pushed the Pacific to second place or Alex Edfort's fourth-straight top-25 finish. Pacific also got contribution from TJ Bordeaux (23rd) and Patrick Kucich (39th).
With such a thrilling individual victory it would be easy to overlook the Tigers success that has happily becoming the norm around Stockton. For a senior dominated team that certainly took its lumps early on the Tigers are certainly dishing them out as of late. An amazing 49-5 record over the past four events has pushed the Tigers up in the latest GolfStat rankings and lined them up for a postseason at-large bid.
The Tigers' second place finish at Fresno has done much to reconfirm that the 2010-11 Tigers have put to rest past failures and are a team to be reckoned with; a simple glance at the history book with tell you that. After finishes of 8th and 8th at the Pacific Invitational the past two years the Tigers put forth a dominating victory this season. Add to that this runner-up finish in a tournament they've placed no better than 10th in in the past two years and the compelling case for a championship caliber team has been made. With the Callaway Match Play coming up in two weeks and then a homestretch of the Ogio Intercollegiate and BYU Cougar Classic the Tigers are banking that the dues they've paid in past will stay true like Johnson's putts on Tuesday. Good to the last drop.
TIGER'S NAMED ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM FOR 2009-10 SEASON
The 2009-10 Pacific squad earned special recognition this week for their outstanding GPA; earning them a spot on the GCAA All-Academic team list. Pacific was one of only 113 teams in all three divisions of college athletics to receive the special honor. To be eligible for GCAA All-Academic Team honors a college of university must submit the grade points earned and hours attempted for each player on its official squad list for the academic year. The Tigers academic achievements were led by Academic All-American Alex Johnson and Powell Scholarship holder Alex Edfort. AUGUST 17, 2010
PACIFIC GOLF SETS SCHEDULE FOR 2010-11 SEASON
The Pacific Tigers announced the release of their 2010-2011 schedule this week, highlighted by a fall season with an opening trip to Mexico and finishing with the annual Pacific Invitational. The Tigers will compete in Stanford's Prestige at PGA West in Palm Springs, the Husky Invitational in Washington and St. Mary's Invitational at Bayonet and Black Horse in Monterey. The spring season gets even better for the head coach Brandon Goethals and the Tigers with a trip to Atlanta for one of college golf premier tournaments, the Callaway Match Play at Hawks Ridge. Pacific also will play in the Arizona Intercollegiate, the Cougar Classic and end their regular season at the Big West Championships; again at Mission Viejo Country Club. The senior-laden team should be the culmination of five years of hard work for Goethals and his squad, three-year letterwinners TJ Bordeaux, Alex Johnson and Patrick Kucich anchor a team deep in experience alongside the addition of 2010 recruits Matt Ogden and Alex Wagner. JUNE 1, 2010
TIGERS TAKE SECOND AT BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
Like déjà vu all over again the Tigers again bettered their season as they have done in each of the past four years, only to come up short for the second year in a row at the Big West Championships. Mission Viejo hosted the annual conference tournament this past week in Orange County and as Goethals' squad had done last year the Tigers put themselves in position in the final round to extend their season. With team leader TJ Bordeaux grinding out a second place individual finish over the 54-hole tournament the Tigers had all the opportunities in the world to make something happen during the final round. Needing their A game to overtake top ranked UC Irvine to move on to regional's the Tigers got, well... their B- game.
Early mistakes in the second round saw Irvine's lead grow on the field as the Tigers fell back to the middle of the pack but thanks to a strong second round from Patrick Kucich and inspired play all-around down the stretch Pacific outdistanced itself from the rest of the Big West and secured their second straight runner-up finish.
UC Irvine's John Chin claimed yet another individual victory during his senior season, making short work of the difficult par-72 course, shooting a three-round score of 209.
While coming up short for NCAA Regional's the Tigers did set multiple program goals including setting the lowest team scoring average mark in program history; 291.97... barely a percentage better than the 2000-01 Pacific squad. And Bordeaux, who struggled by his standards finished the year with a 72.8 scoring average, seventh all-time - headlining a top five squad where all five players average 74.0 or better. (Bordeaux, 72.8 - Kucich 73.6, Bauch 73.8, Johnson 73.9 and Garcia 74.0) The Tigers can find solace in the fact that while UC Irvine and UC Davis may have had their number during the past two years the Tigers are here to stay in the Big West Conference, clearly claiming their place as a program and squad that is only getting better. MAY 3, 2010
KUCICH'S 67 GIVES TIGERS FINAL ROUND PUSH AT COUGAR CLASSIC
An inspired team meeting the night before the final round, freshly milled clubs from Taylormade or just heightened preparation in light of next weeks Big West Championship were all likely candidates for Patrick Kucich's career-low 67 Saturday. However, all those excuses sell short the simple fact that Kucich has worked to be able to go five-under low. His final round was simply the fruits of the labor.
After the Tigers opened with a disastrous opening round 300 at Riverside Country Club and managed only a second 18 of two-shots better it was time for an attitude change for head coach Brandon Goethals' Tigers. A clearly more positive and energetic Tigers bounced back during the final round behind the played of Kucich.
In addition to Kucich's 67, Bordeaux added a one-under 71 at the par 72 course and Bauch righted the ship to shoot even during the third round. The Alex's, Edfort and Johnson posted final round 75's to give the Tigers a much more respectable three-under 285. APRIL 24, 2010
AARON BENGOECHEA SELECTED TO 2010 PACIFIC HALL OF FAME
Aaron Bengoechea was an outstanding golfer for Pacific from 1985 to 1990. His first year on the team during the 1985-86 golf season brought instant success. He was awarded Second Team All-Conference in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association and was invited to play at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, held at Bermuda Run CC in North Carolina, shooting a 232 during the three day event.
In 1986-87, Aaron began to make a major impact for the Tiger golf team. He earned First Team All-Conference honors in the PCAA and finished second at the PCAA Championship, shooting 210 over three days. He again was invited to participate in the NCAA Championships, where he finished 159th by shooting 237 over the three rounds.
During the 1987-88 season, Aaron continued to improve and become a driving force on the Tigers' golf team. He finished with a career-best 73.4 scoring average, which ranks 11th on Pacific's single season list. He also led the Tigers to a round of 280 at the Pacific Invitational, which is tied for the fifth lowest round in school history. He won his first college tournament by winning the Stanford Pepsi Invitational with a final score of 216. He participated in his third straight NCAA Golf Championship and finished 124th with a score of 152 over two days. His excellent play earned him First Team and PCAA Player of the Year honors. The crowning achievement on the year was Aaron earning All-America honors.
His final season during the 1988-89 year brought out the best in Bengoechea. He finished the year with a 73.7 scoring average, which ranks 18th on Pacific's all-time scoring average list. Aaron put on exclamation point on his college career when he won his second tournament at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. He shot 202 during the three day event which stands as the lowest individual tournament score in Pacific golf history. His rounds of 66 and 67 rank tied for 8th and 16th on the Tigers' lowest individual rounds list. His outstanding season earned him a trip to the NCAA Golf Regional held at Oak Tree CC in Edmond, Okla. He earned runner up honors by shooting a 209 during the three days of the tournament. He again was awarded with First Team All-PCAA and Conference Player of the Year honors. In addition to his vast college accolades, Bengoechea also participated in the National Amateur Championships from 1986 to 1989.
After having graduated from Pacific with his bachelor's degree in communications in 1990, Aaron turned professional, joining the PGA Tour in 2000. During the 2000 PGA Tour season, he had 29 starts and made seven cuts. His top finish was a tie for 36th in the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, VA. He also tied for 41st at the Buick Invitational, tying Tour notables Stephan Ames and Mark O'Meara. He was a 10 time winner in Mini Tour Events and has competed in various tournaments nationwide and in Canada.
Aaron currently resides in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife, Kristin, and their three children: Sophie, Ethan and Chloe. Aaron is a Marketing Representative and Manager for Presidio Title. Aaron is an active committee member for the HeatWave Annual Charity Golf Tournament, which provides a safe home for boys and girls, newborn to age seventeen. MARCH 22, 2010
BORDEAUX TAKES 7TH AT THE WESTERN WHILE TIGERS FOLLOW SUIT
If there was any doubt to his game throughout the season junior TJ Bordeaux put that talk to rest with his second straight top ten, this time at the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo where he led the Tigers to a seventh place team finish. Individually, Bordeaux was in contention for another win with a second round 67 and posted a final round 71 to finish in seventh place.
Alex Johnson rebounded from a horrible opening day to shoot a one-under 69 but the rest of the Tigers could manage little to move Pacific up the leaderboard. A great start to the opening round of the 2010 Western Intercollegiate for the Pacific Tigers gave way to a multitude of mistakes on the back nine that left the Tigers in seventh place after 18-holes. Junior TJ Bordeaux and freshman Ben Bauch both posted one-over 71's for the morning while Patrick Kucich shot a 72. Danny Garcia shot a 74 while Alex Edfort managed a 76 to round out the counting scores for Pacific while Alex Johnson posted a 76. The Tigers' +14 put them just two strokes ahead of Michigan State and a good distance behind #4 Oregon who finished at -8 after the opening round.
Bordeaux turned it on in the second round, closing out his day with three birdies to jump him up the leaderboard. Great putting and a strong shortgame once again put the junior in a position to win for the second tournament in a row. MARCH 18, 2010