April 10, 2007

Results

Complete Results in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Senior Louie Bishop won his second tournament in his last three outings while teammate Nate Pistacchio tied for second place as UC Davis won the 23-team Wyoming Cowboy Classic at Scottsdale, Ariz., on Tuesday after getting a final-hole birdie from junior Matt Marshall.

Marshall's birdie, which came on the par-5, 552-yard second hole, allowed the Aggies to finish the tournament at even-par 840 and edge Utah and UC Santa Barbara by a stroke. Oral Roberts was a distant fourth, 13 shots behind UC Davis. Marshall's second shot - a three-iron from 236 yards that avoided out of bounds along the left side - hit 18 feet past the hole and allowed him to two-putt for the clinching birdie.

"The way the holes were playing out (in the shotgun round), we knew Matt was the last one on the course," said Aggie coach Cy Williams. "We knew we needed a birdie."

Bishop, meanwhile, continued his standout senior season, closing the 54-hole tournament on Tuesday with a 1-under 69 on the par-70, 7,133-yard Talking Stick Golf Course. He posted a 67 in the first round and 69 in the second to head into the final round in third place, three strokes off the lead. But his strong finish paced him to a one-shot win at 5-under 205.

He led the tournament in par-4 scoring, playing those holes five shots below par while also posting 10 birdies. Bishop, who entered the week ranked 12th in the GolfStat Cup rankings for the lowest average at 70.88 strokes, had his third straight top-two finish. He claimed his second career title at the Univesity of San Diego Callaway Invitational in early March and was second at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational two weeks ago.

"Louie played super-solid," said Williams. "He's such a great player. He doesn't make mistakes."

Pistacchio had his best collegiate finish, carding a 71 in the final round to tie for second at 4-under 206 with Gary Woodland of Kansas and Joe Ryon of UCSB, the leader after 36 holes. Pistacchio, who was tied for second after Monday after rounds of 69 and 66, tied for third among tournament players with 42 pars.

The Aggies got key contributions from all five of their players during the tournament, with the quintet combining for a school-record 272 score in the first round after each broke 70. It was the first time in program history all five UC Davis players finished in the 60's and believed to be the first time they all shot below par in the same round. Gregg Button, the No. 5 player in the lineup, provided a key highlight when he shot a 1-under 69 in the first round and had his second- and third-round scores count toward the four-person team score.

Additionally, the Aggies did not count a score above 74 during the tournament.

"Everybody contributed, which was great," Williams said of the team effort.

Marshall's key birdie - his 10th of the tournament - gave him a 72 and tied him for 31st in the individual standings at 5-over 215 while Button tied for 36th just one shot behind that. Phil Huffman, who had a 3-under 67 in the opening round, tied for 84th at 223.

UC Davis will return to action this weekend when they participate in the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford on Saturday and Sunday.

WYOMING COWBOY CLASSIC
Talking Stick Golf Course (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Par 70, 7,133 yards
Final Results

TEAM (top 5 of 23) - 1. UC Davis, 272-282-286-840; 2. Utah, 276-282-283-841; 2. UC Santa Barbara, 277 -279-285-841; 4. Oral Roberts Univ., 283-288-282-853; 5. Southern Utah, 287-282-285-854.

INDIVIDUAL (winner plus UCD) - 1. Louie Bishop, UCD, 67-69-69-205...UCD :T2. Nate Pistacchio, 69-66-71-206; T31. Matt Marshall, 69-74-72-215; T36. Gregg Button, 69-73-74-216; T84. Phil Huffman, 67-80-76-223.