GoStanford.com: - Stanford men's golf closed its fall schedule with a second-place finish at the Saint Mary's Invitational on Wednesday at Poppy Hills Golf Course. Stanford shot a 1-over 285 to finish with an 18-under 834, falling one stroke shy of Oregon who finished at 19-under to win the tournament.

Three of six Cardinal finishes in the Top 10, led by Barclay Brown's third-place finish at 6-under. Karl Vilips finished tied for fifth at 4-under, while Jake Beber-Frankel (playing as an individual) finished tied for ninth at 2-under. For Beber-Frankel, his 3-under 68 was his best career round, his 2-under 211 was his best career tournament and he also placed in the Top 10 for the first time in his career.

Stanford closed the fall with Top-5 finishes in all four events, including a victory at the Colonial Collegiate Invitational. The Cardinal will next compete as a team at the Amer Ari Invitational in February.

Stanford Athletics: LA QUINTA, Calif. - Behind Karl Vilips' final round 66, Stanford men's golf climbed the leaderboards and finished seventh at The Prestige. The Cardinal began the day in 19th, and were 17th when the second round concluded, but posted the second-best round of the day, a 2-under 282, to climb 10 more spots into seventh. The event was played in very windy conditions with gusts reaching 35+ mph.

Vilips climbed over 60 spots on the leaderboard, his 5-under 66 one of the best rounds of the entire tournament. Nate Menon also posted a below-par round with a 1-under 70 to finish in the Top 35. Sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen led the Cardinal, finishing tied for 16th with an 8-over 221. In total, there were only two players under par in the entire tournament.

Stanford now faces a quick turnaround, as the Cardinal head to the Cabo Collegiate, which begins Sunday. The 54-hole event will feature 18 holes over the three days of competition.

Stanford Athletics: LOS CABOS, Mexico - Sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen fired a 6-under 65 on Tuesday to finish second overall at 13-under for the Cabo Collegiate to lead Stanford. The Cardinal finished 11th as a team.

Thorbjornsen finished the third round with six birdies and 12 pars, posting a clean sheet. He tallied all three rounds in the 60s (69-66-65) to tie his best career finish (solo second) and score-to-par (-13).

Nate Menon fired a 1-under 70 on Tuesday for his best round of the week. Ethan Ng and Henry Shimp posted identical 1-over 72s. The Cardinal returns home for the Goodwin, March 24-26.

Stanford Athletics: SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Pasatiempo Golf Club proved a tough test for Stanford men's golf this week at the 75th Western Intercollegiate, as the Cardinal finished tied for 12th with an 85-over 1,135 in the six-play, five-score format. However, the Cardinal had its best day during Wednesday's final round, posting a 7-over 357 for its best round of the tournament by 26 strokes, and can carry the positives into Pac-12 Championships, April 25-27.

"It was obviously disappointing for us to finish toward the bottom of the field at the Western this week," Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray said. "However, we had our best round the final day and hopefully learned a lot of lessons on a very demanding golf course that we can carry with us as we move into the postseason. I firmly believe that our best golf is ahead of us, and sometimes tough results get everyone's attention. I expect good things at Pac 12s."

Seven of Stanford's eight golfers had their best round of the week on Wednesday, led by sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen's 3-under 67. Sixth-year senior Henry Shimp posted a 1-under 69 to finish inside the Top 20. Shimp was competing as an individual, but had the Cardinal's best score of the tournament by nine strokes. The native of Charlotte, N.C., played the par 3s at 1-under for the week and was the only golfer in the field to play them at par-or-better.

Stanford Athletics: Lake Sammamish, WA. - Stanford men's golf shaved six strokes off Washington's lead and leapfrogged Arizona State on the leaderboard to finish second on the final day at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships. It is the Cardinal's sixth, top-two finish in the last eight conference championships. Individually, Barclay Brown finished second, Stanford's second straight year with the runner up. The hosts, Washington, edged out the Cardinal by three strokes and UW senior Noah Woolsey won the individual title over Brown by one stroke at Aldarra Golf Club.

"It was great to have a chance!" Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray said. "We have been working hard as a group and it feels good to have it pay off. We will need to continue to improve in a few areas as we prep for Regionals.

As a team, Stanford sat in a tie for sixth following the first round on Monday and trailed Washington by 13 strokes, but steadily climbed the leaderboard over the final three rounds. The Cardinal posted the best round in the field on Monday afternoon, tied for the second-best round on Tuesday and had the third-best round on Wednesday.

"All three are tough to beat when they drive it in the fairway and make a few putts," Ray said of Brown, Vilips and Thorbjornsen. "They were able to do that today. Controlling the ball off the tee sets up good scoring."
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