Rohnert Park, Calif. - On March 8th and 9th the SSU men's golf team made their return to competition for the first time since March of 2020. They would compete in the NNU Nighthawks Invitational at Poppy Ridge Golf Club.

Round 1: After an exciting round 1 between 13 schools and teams battling the elements with harsh wind, the Seawolves men's golf team would finish at the top of the leader board in a 4-way tie at 307! The first 8 teams on the leader board all finished within 8 strokes of each other, setting up for an exciting finish in round 2 of the Nighthawks Invitational.  

In round 1 for SSU, freshman Nick Friedman would make his Seawolf debut and shoot a team low 75 after round 1 allowing him to finish in the top 5 individually! Senior Max Morris would finish as the Seawolves #2 golfer just behind Friedman after round 1 shooting a +4 (76). That would be good for T-7th individually. 4 of the 5 Seawolf golfers would go on to shoot a sub-80 opening round and all 5 golfers would finish inside the top 30 individually as well. With a 4-way tie at 307 the Seawolves would be in great position to make a run at the team championship in round 2. 

"The guys kept their composure and mental fortitude in the blistering wind to hang on for a share of the lead. Nick Friedman showed a lot of poise in his first event as a Seawolf sinking clutch putt after putt to keep the team and himself near the top of the leaderboard. Everyone is excited to be in this position after the long layoff and being competitive once again" (AC, Frazzetta).      

Round 2: Knotted at 307 with 4 other schools, SSU was poised to make a run at the tournament championship on the final day. Devin Gregg, Max Morris, Nick Friedman, and Thomas Jenkins Jr. all came out of the gates on fire. The four SSU golfers combined would record 9 birdies on the front 9 with Jenkins Jr. leading the way at 1 under par. Unfortunately, wind and rain would play a factor on the back side but the Seawolves continued to battle and chip away and keep pace with GNAC member Western Washington. 

Eagles from Max Morris and freshman Nick Friedman on the 17th par 5 helped to force a tie with Western Washington at 610 a piece. The tournament host used the 8th hole scores from both teams that day as the tiebreaker and therefore, SSU would drop the hole 24-21. Even with the scorecard tiebreaker the Seawolves would earn a share of first place with Western Washington as it would go down as a tie for first.

Freshman Nick Friedman would finish as Sonoma State's top golfer for the week in his first ever tournament as a Seawolf! He would shoot 4 over par for the tournament and had a round low 73 on the final day. Max Morris was the next lowest scorer for the Seawolves shooting +8 in his two rounds putting together back to back +4 rounds. 

"The guys got off to a hot start really looking strong and determined. I was impressed with how they rebounded after adversity struck in the middle of the round. After they thawed from the period of frigid rain and wind they took advantage of the par 5 17th hole, with a couple eagles and a birdie to give us a chance at a season opening win. It was great to see everyone step up to the moment and seize it. It'll give us confidence heading into our next events" (Frazzetta, AC).

The Seawolves are back in action next week as they head to Corica Park on March 15th and 16th for their second tournament of the spring.