LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's golf team officially opens its 2023 spring season at the Pizza Hut/Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational this weekend. The 54-hole tournament is set for Friday through Sunday, Feb. 10-12, at the Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George, Utah.

Golfers will play 18 holes each day. Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com.

Along with the Aggies and host Southern Utah, the 10-team field includes Gonzaga, North Dakota, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, Weber State and Western Illinois. Individual competitors from Utah will also be competing.

Scheduled to tee it up for the Aggies are sophomores Esteban Jaramillo (No. 1) and Luis Gerardo Cantu (No. 2), and juniors Josh Pehrson (No. 3), Javier Vazquez (No. 4) and John Cook (No. 5). Sophomores Julio Arronte Sanchez and Nathan Preslar will compete as individuals.

Middle Tennessee won the tournament in 2022 by more than 20 strokes, shooting a combined 826 (276-274-276). The Blue Raiders' Kevin Jegers took home medalist honors at 15-under 201 (69-68-64).

The Aggies finished in eighth place against last year's 14-team field as they posted a 54-hole team score of 7-over 871 (292-291-288=871). Oral Roberts (848, -16) was second and Southern Illinois (853, -11) finished third. Rounding out the top five was Sacramento State (856, -8) and Dixie State (861, -3), respectively.

Vazquez was the top Aggie finisher at the tournament as he tied for 16th at 1-under 215.

Utah State concluded the fall portion of its 2022-23 schedule by finishing in 10th place at The Clerical, which was held Oct. 24-25, at the Oaks Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The two-day event hosted by Oral Roberts was scheduled for 54 holes, but due to inclement weather in the area on the first day, only two rounds were played on the par-71, 7,000-yard course.

The Aggies posted a 36-hole team score of 47-over 615 (307-308) against the 12-team field. South Alabama and New Mexico State tied for first at 12-over 580, but the Jaguars were awarded the team title by tiebreak with the cumulative of the highest score. Only one Aggie finished inside the top 25 as Jaramillo tied for 24th at 7-over 149, including an even-par 71 in the final round.

Preslar tied for 45th at 11-over 153 and Vazquez tied for 58th at 14-over 156. Vazquez led the 71-player field with two eagles. He and Preslar tied for fourth in par-5 scoring with an average of 4.50.

For more information on the Utah State golf program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUMensGolf, on Facebook at USUMensGolf and on Instagram at USUGolf.

Pizza Hut/Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational
Date: Feb. 10-12
Host Course: Sunbrook Golf Club
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,781
Live Scoring: www.golfstat.com

Utah State Lineup
1. Esteban Jaramillo (Sophomore)
2. Luis Gerrardo Cantu (Sophomore)
3. Josh Pehrson (Junior)
4. Javier Vazquez (Junior)
5. John Cook (Junior)
Individuals: Julio Arronte Sanchez (Sophomore) and Nathan Preslar (Sophomore)
 
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