In the scenic setting of Daly City, California, the USC men's golf team is battling it out at The Desimone Invitational, hosted by the University of California at the picturesque Lake Merced Golf Club. After two rounds, the Trojans find themselves in 11th place out of 15 teams, but they're only four strokes shy of cracking the top five.
The day was a rollercoaster for USC, as they climbed into the top five midway through the first round and even reached third place during the second round. However, by the end of the day, they had slipped back to 11th. It's a tight race, with Arizona State leading the pack at 547 (-29), followed by TCU, SMU, Washington State, and UCLA rounding out the top five.
Leading the charge for the Trojans is senior Antonio Safa, who sits in a tie for 14th place with a 139 (-5). Safa showed consistency, being the only Trojan to card both rounds under par.
He kicked off his day with a 71 (-1), featuring five birdies, and followed up with a stellar 68. Despite a hiccup with a double-bogey on the par-4 No.
6, Safa's performance was highlighted by six birdies in his second round.
Sophomore Jack Buchanan is also making waves, tied for 19th with a 140 (-4). Buchanan's day was memorable, particularly his second round.
After starting with a bogey, he quickly turned things around with three birdies and his first-ever collegiate ace on the par-3 No. 13.
Adding to the excitement, he notched an eagle on the par-5 No. 18, finishing with four birdies, two eagles, and four bogeys.
Raghav Gulati, playing in his first stroke-play tournament of the spring, is tied for 45th with an even-par 144. He managed five birdies throughout the day, showcasing his potential.
Junior Nicolas Dominguez and graduate senior Luke Stock round out the team scores. Dominguez is tied for 52nd at 145 (+1), and Stock is tied for 59th with a 146 (+2).
As the Trojans gear up for the final round, they’ll be looking to climb the leaderboard and make a strong finish. Tee times start at 9:50 a.m. PT, and fans can follow the action through updates on the men's golf team's schedule page on usctrojans.com.
Individual Scores:
- T14. Antonio Safa, -5 (71-68=139)
- T19. Jack Buchanan, -4 (72-68=140)
- T45. Raghav Gulati, E (71-73=144)
- T52. Nicolas Dominguez, +1 (74-71=145)
- T59. Luke Stock, +2 (71-75=146)
Team Leaderboard:
- Arizona State, -29
- TCU, -22
- SMU, -20
- Washington State, -17
- UCLA, -15
- California, -14
- Pepperdine, -13
- San Jose State, -13
- Texas, -12
- Arizona, -12
- USC, -11
- Wake Forest, -7
- Utah, -6
- LMU, +3
- Washington, +4
Tee Times for USC:
- 9:50 a.m. PT - Luke Stock
- 10:00 a.m. PT - Nicolas Dominguez
- 10:10 a.m. PT - Raghav Gulati
- 10:20 a.m. PT - Jack Buchanan
- 10:30 a.m. PT - Antonio Safa
The Trojans are poised to make a move, and with the talent on display, anything can happen in the final round. Stay tuned!