The Utah men’s golf team started off hot on Monday at the Hamptons Intercollegiate tournament in East Hampton, New York. The team slowed down just a bit on Tuesday but displayed some solid finishes from Javier Barcos, Davis Johnson and Braxton Watts.

Team Performance

Coming into the tournament, the entire team, including coach Garret Clegg, knew the conditions would not be ideal. Utah Athletics was able to speak with coach Clegg prior to the tournament and he had some words for the weather.

“It’s really hard to predict how the course will play,” he said. “Whoever can keep positive and stay steady will play great and I believe this group is up to the challenge. This will be a major test of will and determination.”

Clegg challenged his team to not let the conditions be a factor in their performance, and for the most part, they were successful. The team finished in 6th place for the tournament despite not having the most efficient 1st and 3rd rounds.

Round 2 was by far the most complete performance for the team. The Utes would finish the round with a score of 294. This would end up being the fifth best score of any team in the tournament, which would eventually help pace them to their top-six finish.

The team continues to get better every tournament, which is a really positive sign for coach Clegg and his staff. The overall scores do not do justice to how much better the Utes have looked compared to earlier in the season. As the players start to come into their own, look for the team to start climbing up the leaderboards in the next couple of tournaments.

Individual Performances

Barcos led the Utes throughout the two-day tournament. He put together a solid all-around performance, finishing with a 75 in rounds 1 and 3 and a beautiful 74 in round two. Barcos put up extremely consistent numbers and ended up finishing 7th overall by the end of the tournament. Barcos finished 8 over par through the three rounds, which had him tied with four other participants from the tournament.

Johnson was another standout for the Utes, posting a score of 12 over through three rounds and finishing tied for 14th place. Round 2 is where Johnson was really able to separate himself from the pack when he posted an even-par 72. A really positive sign for the team was that Johnson completed the tournament with his best collegiate finish as a Ute.

Another breakout performance for the Utes was put on display by Watts. On Tuesday, Watts had an astounding day, finishing with 4 birdies in his round of play. On Monday, Watts was tied for 24th but was able to climb to 16th once his birdie clinic had commenced.

The other Utah starters had solid performances through the first day of the tournament but struggled with the weather on the second day. Martin Leon finished tied for 38th, Hunter Howe ended in a tie for 47th and Brandon Robinson would eventually finish tied for 52nd.

What’s Next for the Utes?

The top three golfers for Utah this past weekend showed some flashes of greatness, which is a great sign as the team enters the back end of the fall season. The Utes will head to Corvallis next week as they look to continue their improved play in the Oregon State Invite.

[email protected]