After just two days of rest, the #94 UCSB men’s golf team came away with a sixth-place finish and edged out rival Cal Poly in its final tournament of the fall season.

The Gauchos entered the Bill Cullum/Countrywide Intercollegiate tournament, hosted by Northridge last Monday and Tuesday at Wood Ranch Golf Course Club, after earning fifth place at the Del Walker 49er Invitational in Long Beach on Nov. 5.

“We’re conditioned well enough that we should be able to compete like that,” sophomore Joe Ryon said.

“I think everyone was kind of tired,” junior Michael Feuerstein said.

Feuerstein led Santa Barbara, hitting just three-over-par-216 and finishing with a tie for 19th overall in wet and muddy conditions caused by a rainstorm.

“I did pretty well considering the conditions.” Feuerstein said. “It was like a swamp.”

Ryon left the tournament tied for 26th with a 221 total, and freshman Darren Schwartz and junior Greg Wells shot nine over to reach a 225 total, finishing in a tie for 44th. Senior Nick Telliard tied for 49th, riding a 226 and shooting 10 over.

“We thought we were one of the top three teams in the field,” Ryon said. “We should have played better than we did.”

Despite being disappointed with the final results of the tournament, the Gauchos were able to take something positive home with them.

“We are all pretty happy that we beat Cal Poly.” Ryon said. “They are our rivals and they’ve been playing really well lately.”

This was the first time this season that the Gauchos finished higher in a tournament than #65 Cal Poly. Santa Barbara finished with a team total of 879, hitting 15 over par and edging out the Mustangs by two strokes.

“We are very happy with our finishes this fall,” Ryon said.

The Gauchos are content to be ranked among the top 100 teams nationwide, a feat they have not accomplished since the 1999-2000 season.

“This was probably the best fall we’ve had in a couple of years,” Wells said. “A lot of the young guys stepped up and we’ve really improved.”

“We are excited about the spring; we have a lot more depth on this team than previous years,” Feuerstein said. “But there is still room for improvement, which is good.”