Starting the final round six strokes back from first place UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton vaulted to the top of the leaderboard to secure the 2019 Big West Conference Men’s Golf Championship at Wailua Golf Club in Lihue, Kauai.  The Titans had three players shoot under-par in the final round to post a tournament-low 284 on the final day for a three-round total of 876, giving the Titans an eight-stroke lead over UC Irvine.  This marks the third conference championship for the Titans and their first since claiming back-to-back honors in 2013 and 2014.

The Anteaters mirrored their second round score and shot 298 on the final day for a three-round score of 884. UC Davis finished third with a score of 886 and was followed by UC Santa Barbara (892), Hawai’i (895) and Long Beach State (589).  CSUN carded 896 to place seventh and UC Riverside grabbed the eighth slot after registering 908.  Rounding out the nine-team field with a total of 916 was Cal Poly.

With back-to-back 4-under 68s for a three-round score of 211, Titan Matt Wilson captured the school’s first Big West Conference individual medalist honor.  UC Davis’ Thomas Hutchison, the only other player to finish the tournament under-par, carded 1-under 215 to grab second.  UC Santa Barbara’s Zach Smith shot even-par 216 to earn third place and was followed by UC Irvine’s Anthony Truong (218).  A trio of players, LBSU’s Hunter Epson, Hawai’i’s Justin Arcano and UC Davis’ Jesse Bratz, tied for fifth after tallying 219.

With the championship, Cal State Fullerton advances to the NCAA Division I Men’s Regional which is scheduled for May 13-15. The selection show is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 at 6:00 pm (PT) on the Golf Channel.

Sites for this year’s event are the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, hosted by Washington State University; Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford University; TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, hosted by Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance; University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by the University of Louisville; University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia, hosted by the University of Georgia; and University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas  The 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will be held May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Course in Fayetteville, Ark.