NAWILIWILI — The 10th ranked Arizona Wildcats finished with its best round of three days to capture the 47th John A. Burns Intercollegiate tournament at the Ocean Course at Hokuala on Saturday.
Playing under the cold northerly winds in clear conditions, Arizona carded a 54-hole total 277 to finish the tournament at 844, three strokes better than runner-up University of California, Berkeley, which ended with 847 despite bettering Arizona by six strokes on the final round.
“Our team’s ability to maintain their composure down the stretch on this challenging layout was commendable,” said Arizona men’s golf head coach Jim Anderson, who has guided the program since 2012.
“Starting with Yannick Malik and continuing with Zach Pollo, different players shined each day that cluminated in a rewarding victory. The Burns remains one of our favorite events year-in and year-out.”
Bastien Amat, a junior of third place team University of New Mexico, took medalist honors with a 13-under 203 after completing the final round five strokes ahead of Yannick Malik of Arizona, who tied the single-round scoring record of 8-under 64 on Thursday in the opening round of the tournament.
“I began 5-under on my first four holes with three birdies and an eagle,” Amat said. “That set the tone for a special day. Though I mis-clubbed on 15 from the strong winds and made bogey, I still shot 3-under on the back which provided a helpful buffer coming down the stretch.”
Kolbe Irei, the sole University of Hawai‘i golfer to finish under par on Saturday, led the Rainbow Warriors with a 2-under 70 on Saturday. Irei finished tied for 23rd place with a 54-hole 1-under 215 after marking four birdies and two bogeys on the final round.
The host Rainbow Warriors finished the final round with a team 305 to end with a 900 total for 17th place in the 20-team field.
Blaze Akana fired a final round 77 to finish at 226 for a tie in 81st place.
Other contributing Rainbow Warriors included Dane Watanabe who tied for 93rd place with a 229 total following a day’s 81, and Josh Hayashida who fired a final round 78 to finish in 111th place. Tyler Ogawa finished the final round at 80 for a 240 tournament total for 120th place.
The Hawai‘i men’s golf under coach Scott Simpson next competes in the Lamkin San Diego Classic on March 4-5 in San Diego, California.
The tournament that wrapped up Saturday was the third year being hosted by Ocean Course at Hokuala following a six-year run at Wailua Golf Course.
The tournament, described by founder Robert Takano’s daughter as the fourth longest-running intercollegiate tournament, was created in 1977 and named after former state of Hawai‘i Governor John A. Burns who wanted to see the growth of UH athletics at a competitive level with the rest of the nation.
