Oct. 24, 2006

Final Santa Clara Invitational Results in PDF Format
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SAN JOSE , Calif. -- Gonzaga University freshman Brandon Crick captured medalist honors at The Santa Clara Invitational men's golf tournament Tuesday at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club, shooting a final-round 3-under par 69 for a 54-hole score of 211.

That helped the Bulldogs finish fifth at 886 as Gonzaga put together three solid rounds of 296-294-296 over the 6,926-yard, par 72 layout. UC Santa Barbara took team honors with an 873 for a two-stroke win over UCLA.

Crick was the only participant to record two sub-70 rounds, shooting 74-68-69. He entered Tuesday's final round six strokes off the lead behind 36-hole leader Jason D'Amore of West Coast Conference foe Loyola Marymount University. D'Amore ballooned to a 77 and Crick took advantage to come from behind for the victory. Jason Kang of UCLA finished second at 212 with rounds of 70-70-72.

"I knew he was a good player, but I didn't really expect him to win one this quickly," Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray said. "Obviously, his play really helped us in the team results."

Heavy fog hampered play early Tuesday, but Crick still managed to play the first four holes in 4-under par that included an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole.

Trevor Loe finished tied for 23rd at 223 and Jimmy Hayes tied for 44th at 226.

Walk-on Derek Cheney, who qualified for his first tournament, played well Monday with rounds of 73-77 but skied to an 81 on Tuesday.