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BOULDER CITY, Nev. (May 1, 2016) - It was former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich who famously said, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
Tomjanovich was talking about his team overcoming long odds to defend their NBA title, creating a quote that has been used to describe the path of a defending champion ever since. The quote may have perfectly described the road to a second consecutive Big Sky men's golf championship for the Idaho Vandals.
The Vandals, who dominated the field at the 2015 tourney, entered the 2016 Big Sky Men's Golf Championships, presented by BEX Sunglasses, as a favorite, followed closely by the Sacramento State Hornets. It was the Hornets who held a four-shot lead entering the final 18 holes at Boulder Creek Golf Club Sunday.
Idaho saved its best for last in the Big Sky tourney, shooting a final round 271 (-17), setting the all-time low for a single round by a team in the conference tournament. The final round helped the Vandals to a seven-shot victory, as they finished with a 54-hole total of 842 (-22), besting Sacramento State.
Four different Vandals finished under par, with Ryan Porch shooting the tournament-low round of 65 on Sunday. Daniel Sutton countered with a 67, while Rylee Iacolucci shot a one-under-par 71.
Overcoming adversity has been as much a part of the Vandals' season in 2016 as putting and chipping are a round of golf. The Vandals had a shakeup in their coaching staff, with former player David Nuhn taking over the program, players changing roles on the team and injuries affecting the team, even during the conference tournament.
All of the adversity culminated in another berth into the NCAA regionals for the Vandals, an accomplishment Nuhn said is significant.
"Every single tournament this spring, I felt like there's been progress, in a positive manner," he said. "We went to Iowa two weeks ago and felt like we played better than we played in the tournament prior to that. This tournament is obviously our first victory of the spring, but it comes at a great time to shoot our lowest team score of the year."
While the Vandals dominated the course as a team, Hartford's Evan Russell was strong throughout the 2016 Big Sky tourney. Russell shot a final-round 67, on a sunny Sunday in southern Nevada. Russell shot under-par rounds in each round, finishing with a 70 in the rain-soaked second round.
In his comments after the round, Russell simply stated a message of thanks to his parents, coaches, teammates and the tournament staff.
Idaho's Porch and Sutton tied for second, a shot behind Russell. Hartford's Will Betts and Sacramento State's Taylor Knoll tied for fourth place at seven-under-par (209).
The Vandals' NCAA regional destination will be announced on May 5, with Russell's regional site also being announced that day.
Idaho coach David Nuhn said his team is playing its best golf of the season, entering the regional.
"We take a lot of confidence into our preparations and practice (from this conference championship) into the next couple weeks, getting ready for our regional tournament," he said.