Toros Complete Coyote Classic, Roadrunners Take Title
Toros tourney highlight was Chris Whitaker's ace on Monday
March 23, 2004

Courtesy Cal State San Bernardino Sports Information Office

Day One Results

HESPERIA — Cal State Bakersfield, the nation's sixth-ranked golf team in NCAA Division II, held off a third-round challenge by third-ranked Cal State Stanislaus Tuesday to capture the team title at the third annual Cal State San Bernardino Coyote Classic Invitational at Hesperia Golf and Country Club.

The Warriors made up eight strokes on the Roadrunners in the final round to finish at 881 -- 17 over par -- two shots back of the champions (879). UC San Diego, ranked No. 4, finished nine strokes back of Bakersfield at 888 followed by Western Washington at 889. Host CSUSB faded from fifth to ninth place (907) over the final 18 holes of the 54-hole tournament.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, as a team, shot 310 on the day and finshed in 13th place.

Grand Canyon's team, in second place and just three shots back of Bakersfield after the first 36 holes, wound up fifth, just ahead of Point Loma Nazarene while Hawaii-Hilo, ranked No. 5 in the nation, finished seventh.

Justin Stover of Grand Canyon University shot an even-par 72 Tuesday to claim medalist honors by one shot over Shane Prante of Saint Martin's College of Lacey, Wash., who shot a closing one-under par 71. Ron Killmer of Cal State Bakersfield, the first-round leader, tied for third with Tim Feenstra of Western Washington at 214 -- two under par for the tournament.

Eric Justesen of Cal State Monterey Bay posted the day's low score, a five-under par 67, to vault into seventh place while Feenstra finished with a 69. They were the only two players in the field who shot in the 60s Tuesday.

The field averaged 76.87 strokes on the 6,996-yard, par-72 Hesperia course that yielded one ace (by Chris Whitaker of Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday), nine eagles and 519 birdies, but was tough enough to cause 190 double bogeys among the field of 75 golfers.

Killmer led the field in birdies with 16 while Prante and Grand Canyon's Ryan Prew each had 14. Seth Cotter of The Master's College was a steady force with a tournament high 40 pars. Prante was a force on the par 5s, posting an 11-under total on the long holes. Feenstra was nine-under on the par 5s.

Stover, the medalist was the king of the par 4s, playing them in three-under par.

Team-wise, Cal State Bakersfield led the field in birdies with 54 and par 5 scoring (22-under). Of the nine eagles registered, Saint Martin's players produced four of them.

CSUSB COYOTE CLASSIC (@ Hesperia Golf & Country Club) 1. Cal State Bakersfield -- 879; 2. Cal State Stanislaus -- 881; 3. UC San Diego -- 888; 4. Western Washingtonn -- 889; 5. Grand Canyon -- 896; 6. Point Loma Nazarene -- 897; 7. Hawaii-Hilo -- 898; 8. Cal State Monterey Bay -- 904; 9. Cal State San Bernardino -- 907; 10. (tie) Western New Mexico and The Master's College -- 909; 12. Saint Martin's College -- 915; 13. Cal State Dominguez Hills -- 950; 14. Northwest Nazarene -- 1012.

TOP INDIVIDUALS 1. Justin Stover (Grand Canyon) 72-67-72 -- 211; 2. Shane Prante (Saint Martin's College) 69-72-71 -- 212; 3. (tie) Ron Killmer (Cal State Bakersfield) 67-75-72 -- 214 and Tim Feenstra (Western Washington) 74-71-69 -- 214; 5. (tie) Billy Moon (Cal State Stanislaus) 72-74-70 -- 216 and Kevin Starr (Cal State Bakersfield) 73-71-72 -- 216.