Joel Johnson

SAN JOSE, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots combined for a six-under par 858 to overtake second-round leader Oklahoma and win the Santa Clara Invitational, which concluded on Tuesday at the Silver Creek Country Club. It’s the first team title for Portland since 2003.

After combining for a first-round 283 (-6) to lead the 14-team field, the Pilots totaled a 290 in the second round and trailed 33rd-ranked Oklahoma by eight strokes entering Tuesday’s final round. The Sooners carded a final-round 296, while Portland came in at minus three (285) to claim the team title by one stroke over runner-up and tournament host Santa Clara. The Broncos finished with an 859, while Oklahoma ended up in the third place with an 861.

“This is a great way to finish the fall season,” UP head coach Bill Winter said. “We had real consistent play from the entire team. Joel Johnson and Terence Macatangay both stepped up big in the final round and made some quality shots coming in.”

Neither Johnson, a senior, nor Macatangay, a sophomore, had a round over par during the 54-hole tournament. Johnson capped the tourney with a final-round 68, after opening with back-to-back 71’s. He finished tied for third individually with a six-under par 210, matching a season-low for 54 holes.

Macatangay shot a 54-hole season low of 213 (-3), good for a tie for fifth place. He followed an opening round of 71 (-1) with an even-par 72 and a two-under par 70.

Cal State Northridge’s Nick Delio shot three rounds in the 60’s to claim medalist honors. Delio totaled a 13-under par 203 (69-67-67) to finish six strokes ahead of runner-up Tim Lynch of Santa Clara.

Four of UP’s five golfers shot under par during the first round to move Portland to the top of the leader board. Sophomore Thomas Robertson (71) and freshman Justin Smithhisler (70) joined Johnson and Macatangay in the red after 18 holes. Smithhisler totaled a two-over par 218 to tie for 17th place. It's the fourth time in four tournaments this fall that Smithhisler has placed in the top 20.

Freshman Jake Wagner tied for 31st place with a 222, while Robertson finished with a 227, tying for 47th.

Portland’s last team win came in October of 2003, when the Pilots won the Boise State Bronco Round-Up.

The Pilots finish the fall season with a first, second and third place finish in four tournaments. Portland is not scheduled to take the course again until the Anteater Invitational in February.

Santa Clara Invitational - Final Results

Silver Creek Country Club (San Jose, Calif.) - Par 72 – 7,004 yards

Team Scores: 1. Portland (283-290-285) 858; 2. Santa Clara (290-284-285) 859; 3. Oklahoma (288-277-296) 861; 4. Cal State Northridge (288-293-287) 868; 5. British Columbia (293-293-284) 870; 6. Boise State (285-296-297) 878; 7. Campbell University (311-285-288) 884; 8. Sacramento State (295-302-291) 888; 9. Gonzaga (292-293-306) 891; 10. Kennesaw State (309-295-292) 896; 11. South Dakota State (298-305-294) 897; 12. Loyola College (296-303-299) 898; 13. Utah Valley (301-298-301) 900; 14. Idaho State (322-296-303) 921.

Individual Leaders: 1. Nick Delio, CSUN (69-67-67) 203, -13; 2. Tim Lynch, Santa Clara (73-66-70) 209, -7; t3. Tyler Rody, Oklahoma (71-66-73) 210, -6; t3. Joel Johnson, Portland (71-71-68) 210, -6; t5. Terence Macatangay, Portland (71-72-70) 213, -3; t5. Troy Merritt, Boise St. (67-70-76) 213, -3; t5. Cory Renfrew, Br. Colum. (72-72-69) 213, -3; t5. Eric Durbin, Oklahoma (71-69-73) 213, -3.

Portland Scores: t3. Joel Johnson (71-71-68) 210, -6; t5. Terence Macatangay (71-72-70) 213, -3; t17. Justin Smithhisler (70-75-73) 218, +2; t31. Jake Wagner (76-72-74) 222, +6; t47. Thomas Robertson (71-76-80) 227, +11.