The Simon Fraser University Men's Golf team kicked off their spring season with a strong performance at the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational, finishing in third place out of a competitive field of 13 teams. SFU posted rounds of 293, 290, and 290 for a total score of 873 (+9), placing them behind only St. Mary's (TX) (-11) and tournament hosts Cal State San Marcos (+5). SFU showcased consistent play across all three rounds, holding their position near the top of the leaderboard from start to finish.
SFU opened the tournament with a team score of 293, positioning themselves in the middle of the leaderboard. Junior
Junsu (Danny) Im and sophomore
Brendan O'Brien led the way with solid rounds of 2-under 70. In the second round, SFU outlasted windy conditions and improved their team score by three strokes, firing a team score of 290 and finding themselves only five shots out of a top-three finish.
Denby Carswell rebounded impressively in round two with a 2-under-par 70, while Im continued his strong play with a steady 73.
The final round saw SFU maintain their steady play with another team score of 290, securing a third-place finish at +9 overall.
Junsu (Danny) Im began the final day with six shots back of the individual lead but set the tone early with a clutch birdie on the par-3 fourth hole, hitting his tee shot to 10 feet and sinking the putt. His birdie start and impressive course management allowed him to shoot another 2-under-par 70, finishing the event at 3-under 213. His strong final round placed him in the runner-up position, just two shots behind tournament winner Kongpop Kaikaew of St. Mary's University (72-69-70, 211).
Denby Carswell carded a strong final-round 71 to secure a top-10 finish at 2-over 218, while
Brendan O'Brien was also instrumental in SFU's top-three finish, posting scores of 70-76-74—220 to earn a top-15 finish.
Reflecting on his runner-up finish,
Junsu (Danny) Im said, "I'm truly grateful for all the people who make it possible for me to improve and perform. This journey would be more difficult without the coaches, the strength and conditioning staff, and the sports med team working behind the scenes at SFU to support the program." He also thanked his teammates for their support, adding, "I look forward to the rest of the spring semester, where I hope to claim a win and help the team win a national championship."
With a strong start to the spring season, SFU men's golf is eager to build on this momentum. They will be back in action at the CSU East Bay Tim Tierney Shootout on March 11-12.
