No. 24 Utah Golf will compete in the inaugural Desimone Invitational, hosted by Cal at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California, on March 9-10. The event features a par 72 course stretching 6,915 yards and includes a field of 15 teams, with several ranked opponents such as Texas (#4), Arizona State (#9), and Pepperdine (#10).
Utah has shown gradual improvement during its spring schedule. The team tied for eighth place at the Southwestern Invitational and finished sixth at the John Burns Collegiate. Junior Sergio Jimenez has led Utah’s efforts, tying for seventh and twentieth in the first two tournaments of spring. Jimenez is currently ranked 65th nationally with an adjusted scoring average of 68.8 over 18 rounds and one top-three finish.
Gabriel Palacios is Utah’s highest-ranked player at No. 19. He made a significant jump during the final day of the John Burns Collegiate to tie for thirtieth place after a slow start earlier in the season. Palacios holds an adjusted scoring average of 68.6 through 18 rounds and has achieved two top-three finishes.
Jack Jerge, who joined Utah as a mid-year transfer, has contributed steady performances with an adjusted scoring average of 71.8 after six rounds this spring.
Seniors Brandon Robison and Davis Johnson complete Utah’s starting lineup for the tournament; they tied for forty-ninth and fifty-eighth places respectively at their last outing.
Head coach Garrett Clegg commented on his expectations: “So far this season, we have not played as a whole group to the level we are capable of. We have had good individual performances by a couple of players here or there but just have not put together complete rounds as a team. This week at Cal, I am looking for us to have four or five players compete and play at a high level. If we do that, we will be in the mix for the team title in the final round. We are going against a fantastic field—probably the best we have competed against this spring to date, but we have the firepower to compete with anyone in the country when we are sharp.”
The Desimone Invitational consists of three rounds over two days—36 holes on Monday followed by an additional round on Tuesday.
Live scoring updates will be available via Scoreboard and links can also be found on UtahUtes.com.
Fans can follow tournament news and updates about Utah Golf through social media channels (X: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf) or by downloading UTAH 360, the official mobile app of University of Utah athletics.
