FRESNO -- Sophomore Greg Machtaler finished nine-under par and in second place leading BYU to a fourth place finish at the Fresno Lexus Classic.
Machtaler nearly surprised the No. 2 ranked golfer in the nation, Nick Watney of Fresno State, on his home turf. The Cougar Canadian needed a birdie on the final hole to force a tie with the Bulldog All-American, but came up just short finishing 70-69-68--207. Machtaler's second-place finish was the best finish by any Cougar this season.
"Machtaler played incredible golf this whole tournament," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "To go out and shoot nine-under-par on this golf course really says a lot about what kind of golfer he is."
Machtaler has finished in the top 25 in every single tournament this season. Just a step behind Machtaler was freshman sensation Daniel Summerhays, who also placed among the top 25 individuals for the fourth consecutive tournament. Summerhays carded a final round 71 to finish six-under and in third place. This was Summerhays best finish of his young career.
"What can I say, he (Summerhays) just plays solid golf every tournament," Brockbank said. "Greg (Machtaler) and Danny (Summerhays) really carried the whole team on their backs this whole tournament."
This was the first tournament since the 2001 Mountain West Championships when Jesse Hibler and Scott Miller finished second and third that two Cougars have finished in the top five.
Behind Summerhays and Machtaler, the Cougars saw little help, but freshman Clay Bingham continued to be a pleasant surprise. Bingham went 74-80-76--230.
Sophomore Ron Harvey Jr. had a difficult tournament finishing tied for 66th place while teammate Jared Overton finished 85th.
The Cougars will finish their fall season on October 21-22 in the Aztec Invitational at Barona Creek Golf Course.
TEAM SCORES
1. Fresno State 289-295-286--870 +6
2. UTEP 294-286-292--872 +8
3. Colorado State 294-291-290--875 +11
4. BYU 291-291-295--877 +13
San Diego State 292-288-297--877 +13
6. Denver 296-291-295--882 +18
7. Augusta State 303-293-287--883 +19
8. Arizona State 305-288-291--884 +20
9. Pacific 293-298-294--885 +21
Notre Dame 288-294-303--885 +21
11.San Jose State 301-297-290--888 +24
12.Utah 304-296-291--891 +27
13.Nevada 314-284-301--899 +35
14.Santa Barbara 305-303-292--900 +36
15.Long Beach St. 301-298-304--903 +39
16.Louisiana Monroe 305-308-299--912 +48
17.Fresno State JV 319-302-300--921 +57
18. Hawaii 312-306-309--927 +63
BYU INDIVIDUAL SCORES
2. Greg Machtaler 70-69-68--207 -9
3. Daniel Summerhays 69-70-71--210 -6
t66. Clay Bingham 74-80-76--230 +14
t66. Ron Harvey Jr. 78-72-80--230 +14
85. Jared Overton 79-80-80--239 +23