MOORPARK, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's golf hosted the Kingsmen Invitational at the par-72 Moorpark Country Club this week, emerging victorious behind a team score of 20-over through the two-day tournament. Adam Cartozian led the Kingsmen, shooting with even-par for a share of second place, individually.

Fourteen teams gathered at one of Cal Lutheran's home courses to compete in the event, including SCIAC programs Chapman, CMS, La Verne, Occidental, and Redlands.

Officially competing for the Kingsmen were Cartozian, Blake Fitzhugh, Hudson Solters, Tanner Stewart, and Jackson Stitt. The tournament kicked off on Monday morning at 8:00am with a shotgun start.

Cartozian bogeyed the second hole before quickly catching fire with four birdies in the next six holes, including three on par 5s. He notched a 33 on the front-nine. An uncharacteristic double-bogey on hole 10 momentarily set him back, but Cartozian would finish the opening round one-under with five birdies.

Stitt played a quality round, consistently finding real estate near the pin on his approaches. He sunk five birdies on the day to shoot 35 on the back-nine and even-par overall. Solters began the tournament with momentum, birdying his second hole and eagling his fourth, with both being par 5s. A string of bogeys and pars would set him back slightly before a birdie on the par 3 hole 17 brought him to 1-over for the round.

Stewart wasn't able to knock in a birdie, but he rode 14 pars to shoot a 77. Fitzhugh battled an illness to finish with an 80, including a birdie on the par 5 hole 18.

After round one, the Kingsmen sat at 5-over as a team, putting them in a tie for second and one stroke behind the lead.

Tuesday's round would prove difficult for all golfers as the rain picked up in Moorpark, but the tournament would continue despite the harsh weather conditions.

Cartozian once again had a shaky start, bogeying his first hole. He settled in immediately after that, with consecutive birdies on holes 5 and 6 giving him a 35 through the front-nine. After an up-and-down back-nine, he finished at one-over thanks to four total birdies, placing tied-for-second individually at even-par on the tournament.

Solters began the day with a quad-bogey on the par 4 hole 2, but he recovered mightily and birdied the next hole. After back-to-back bogeys on holes 6 and 7, Solters sat at five-over through six holes. He would play phenomenally the rest of the way. Three birdies and nine pars late, Solters was able to finish at two-over on the day thanks to a 34 on the back-nine, giving him a score of three-over for the tournament.

Stitt managed two birdies in the front-nine and one more on his final hole to end with a 77, giving him a two-round score of five-over. Fitzhugh shot a 79 to finish at 15-over after 36 holes, while Stewart recorded an 81, giving him a tournament score of 14-over.

The Kingsmen were able to hold on for the tournament victory, defeating Redlands by just one stroke. This marks the first team win for Cal Lutheran in the 2024-25 season, and its first since the CA State Intercollegiate in 2023.

Competing independently for Cal Lutheran were Aidan Allen, Nick Huffman, Ty Kuroda, Tyler Meister, and Luke Rimkunas.

Huffman sank six birdies in the two rounds to finish at eight-over. Kuroda notched five birdies en route to a score of nine-over. Allen recorded two birdies, ending at 15-over. Rimkunas managed one birdie and finished at 19-over. Meister knocked in three birdies on his way to a 22-over on the tournament.

Cal Lutheran men's golf will be back in action on April 5-6 for the SCIAC #2 at Antelope Valley Country Club in Palmdale.