Bandon Dunes Championship Provides Utah Golf Chance to Continue Strong Spring

Sunday, March 10

Bandon, Ore.

University of Utah

Bandon Dunes Championship

Bandon Dunes Championship Provides Utah Golf Chance to Continue Strong Spring

3/8/2024 10:46 AM | Men's Golf

After strong showings in Hawaii and Georgia, Utes to play 54 holes in Oregon

Date: March 10 – 12
Location: Bandon Dunes Resort | Bandon, Ore.
Par/Yardage: Par-71/6,600 yards
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com and the Golfstat App

THIS WEEK
The University of Utah men's golf team has gotten the spring started by placing two players in the top 10 in each of its first two tournaments and the Utes will have an opportunity to continue building spring momentum when they travel to Bandon, Ore., the site of the Bandon Dunes Championship, which will be held from Sunday to Tuesday at the Bandon Dunes Resort.

The Utes have been regulars at this event over the last several seasons and will be competing in Bandon for the seventh straight year. Their best showing during that time came in 2019, when three Utes placed inside the top 10, Blake Tomlinson won the individual title and Utah took home the tournament championship. Coach Garrett Clegg also saw his squad take second in 2021 and land in a tie for second a year ago.

The golfer who played the most significant role in helping the Utes take second in 2023 was Braxton Watts, who tied for 12th. Watts will be back on the golf course in Oregon starting on Sunday and he'll be aiming to help the Utes attempt to dethrone the defending champions, the Oregon Ducks.

UTAH LINE-UP
The Utes will have seven student-athletes competing in Oregon, with a lineup made up of Javier Barcos, Brandon Robison, Braxton Watts, Sergio Jimenez and Gabriel Palacios and pair of individuals in Davis Johnson and Tanner Telford.

COACHES THOUGHTS: Head Coach Garrett Clegg
"Bandon is a different style of golf than we traditionally play," said Clegg. "Being a links golf course, you have to be prepared to hit different shots. We played fairly well in the wind in Hawaii and we will see how we do this week. I hope to see us compete for the title coming down the stretch on Tuesday. It will take a great effort from the boys and it should be a great week!"

THE FIELD
The list of teams battling the Utes for the tournament crown consists of Air Force, Boise State, CSUN, George Washington, Gonzaga, North Dakota State, Oregon, Oregon State, San Jose State, Seattle U, SIU Edwardsville, UC San Diego, Utah Valley and Weber State.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS
The Bandon Dunes Championship will consist of three rounds played over three days and each round will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. PT.

LAST TIME OUT
Barcos bounced back from a difficult start to the spring by posting his highest finish of the season at the Invitational at the Ford. The native of Estella, Spain placed third, the seventh top five finish of his Utah career and that helped him earn the first Pac-12 Men's Golfer of the Week award of his career and the first ever for a Ute. Barcos was 7-under across 54 holes in Georgia, his lowest 54-hole mark of the season, and the fourth time in the last six tournaments he's been under par.

While Barcos leads the team with a 71.5 stroke average, right behind him at 71.6 is Sergio Jimenez. The Utah freshman started the spring by posting a top-10 finish in Hawaii, then shot three straight rounds at even par in Georgia to tie for 20th. Over his last three events, Jimenez owns a 70.6 stroke average and has recorded three straight top 20 finishes. His five top-20 finishes overall in 2023-24 are tied with Barcos for the team-lead.

Robison played some of the best golf of his sophomore season at the Invitational at the Ford, also tying for third at 7-under. He began the competition with back-to-back 69's before carding a final round 71. Robison also ended the fall by shooting a 2-under 214 at the Visit Stockton Invite and in Oregon, he'll be aiming to post a red score for the third time in his last four tournaments.

Watts was 2-over during Utah's most recent outing and will be attempting to recapture the form he showed at the John Burns Intercollegiate in early February, when he was 4-under, while Palacios has posted at least one score under 72 in all five tournaments he's played in 2023-24. Johnson will be on the links for the third time in three events, while Telford is scheduled to make his third appearance on the golf course for the Utes this season.

LIVE SCORING
Live results of the tournament can be found on Golfstat.com and the Golfstat app.

FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Golf program along with tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf).