The Washington State Cougars men’s golf team secured their third top-five finish of the season Tuesday, finishing third at the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley, California.

The Cougs were able to climb four spots in the final round to finish 3-under as a team. For most of the season, the team has found themselves in a strong position after day one, but faded on day two.

This week however, the Cougs showed resilience and finished strong in their third trip to California this year. Head Coach Garrett Clegg said the team felt they had a shot at winning the whole tournament at the beginning, but a poor second-round hurt those chances.

Luckily for the Cougars, the second round was delayed due to darkness because of a late start from fog in the early morning of the tournament.

When play resumed the next day, the Cougars were ready to go. Freshman Derek Bayley led the Cougs, shooting 5-under, tied for seventh. It was his second top-10 finish in three tournaments. Redshirt senior Sang Lee notched another top-15 finish for himself as well, with a score of 4-under.

“Overall it was a great final round,” Clegg said. “It was a good week – a good performance.”

The second day comeback was due in large part to the play of senior Charlie Mroz, who ended the day with three birdies in the final four holes. Mroz finished the tournament tied for 31st, with a second day score of 3-under.

“Charlie was our star of the day,” Clegg said. “His play was really, really big for us.”

The fall season will conclude for the Cougs next weekend, Oct. 20-Nov.1, at the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, California.

Reporting by Beau Baily