Capturing individual medalist honors in tournament action, juniors Joe Fryer of Long Beach State and Kaci Masuda of Hawai‘i claimed Big West Golfer of the Month accolades for March.
Fryer Wins Second Career Individual Title
Long Beach State junior Joe Fryer (Bristol, England/Kamiak HS) earned Big West Men’s Golfer of the Month honors for his efforts in March, which included an individual title at the Sacramento State Invitational.
Fryer shot 6-under 210 over 54 holes at the Valley Hi Country Club to collect his second career win. He won the Folino Invitational last season as a sophomore.
An exceptional final round propelled Fryer to a two shot victory over UC Irvine’s David Kim. Fryer carded a 5-under 67 over the last 18 holes, including six birdies. He was 1-under through 36 holes after rounds of 72 and 71.
Fryer recorded a top 10 finish to close out the month at the GCU Invitational in Phoenix, Ariz. With rounds of 71, 72 and 68, Fryer finished at 2-under 211 on the par-71, 7,134 yard GCU Championship Golf Course.
Fryer’s 3-under 68 represented a team-best and his second sub-70 round of the month.
LBSU tied for the team title at the Sacramento State Invite and came in fourth at the GCU Invitational.
This is Fryer’s second career Golfer of the Month honor after earning the distinction in September 2017.
Others nominated: Jimmy Castles (Cal Poly); David Kim (UC Irvine); Brett Bennett (UC Santa Barbara)
Masuda Joins Exclusive Club at Hawai‘i
Becoming just the sixth individual to win a tournament in program history, Hawai‘i junior Kaci Masuda (Pearl City, O’ahu/American Renaissance Academy) collected the Big West Women’s Golfer of the Month award for March.
Competing in a field which featured five Top 100 golfers, Masuda won the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Kapalua, Maui. The Bay Course, a par-72, 6,022-yard layout, saw Masuda shoot a 4-under 212 score for 54 holes. She was three strokes better than runner-up Lauren Hartlage of Louisville, who finished at 1-under 215.
Masuda helped UH tie for first with 29th-ranked Louisville for the program’s fourth-ever team title. She shot 3-under 69 in the opening round of the Anuenue Classic and finished with a 2-under 70 to overcome Hartlage, who stumbled over the final 18 in 3-over 75.
Masuda is UH’s first medalist since Eimi Koga won the 2015 Hobble Creek Classic – and the third in the last five years. Izzy Leung claimed the 2014 OSU Invitational.
She also tied for 24th individually at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, shooting a final round 71. Three of her final four rounds in the month of March were under par. She leads the team with six rounds under par this season and a 75.2 scoring average.
Others nominated: Desiree Gillaspy (Cal Poly); Elsa Lundquist (Cal State Fullerton); Holland Shourds (Long Beach State); Avery French (UC Irvine)