Men’s Golf | April 02, 2024
MARICOPA, Ariz. — The USC men’s golf team had a stellar finish on the final day of the Cowboy Classic at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club today (April 2), as the Trojans charged up the leaderboard to end the tournament in a season-best finish of 4th out of 23 teams at 26-under par (280+274+284=838).
“We were in contention to win today,” said head coach Mark Hankins. “We finished our second round strong with a bunch of birdies and an eagle to get us within a few shots of the lead. We fought hard in the middle of the final round and just let a few shots get away in the end. I was proud of our overall focus this week, and that Krando and Gavin could post their career-best finishes to lead us to a strong finish”
Senior Krando Nishiba had his best performance of the season finishing in a tie for 4th place out of 120 players, firing (66-69-71) for a total of 206 (-10). After closing out his second round with 4 consecutive pars to stay at 3-under, Nishiba made 4 birdies on Tuesday afternoon and rounded out the tournament with a solid 1-under par 71. This 4thplace finish and 206 total, are career-best finishes for a 54 hole competition.
“Coming back from The Goodwin, I was trending a lot better and being more patient,” said Nishiba. “Our assistant coach, Evan, was walking with me and talking through each shot which really helped me. He kept me in the present. This finish exemplifies a lot of hard work paying off. I was pretty experienced at this course between The Copper Cup and another tournament I played in over winter break. All of the experience really helped me to map my way through the course and play steady golf.”
Junior Gavin Aurilia also posted his best 54 hole collegiate finish and total score at the Cowboy Classic. He completed the two-day competition at 7-under par with scores of 69-69-71 for a 209 (-7) total and a tie for 9th. After finishing his second round at 3-under (69), Aurilia turned to the final 18 where he battled until the final hole posting a birdie and finishing (-1) on the round.
“I’ve been working really hard on mentality going into tournaments and how that mindset should translate from practice,” said Aurilia. “I focused on disciplining myself and staying in the rounds the best I could. We need to keep staying consistent and the…
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