STANFORD, Calif. – For the second time in two weeks, the 13th-ranked Stanford men's golf team tackles a desert course when it competes in the Querencia Cabo Collegiate, Sunday through Tuesday at Querencia Golf Club in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
Two weeks ago, the Cardinal claimed fifth out of 16 teams at The Prestige at PGA West Resort in La Quinta, California.
Joining Stanford in the 54-hole stroke play tournament based on the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rakings are No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Baylor, No. 12 Cal, No. 15 Wake Forest, No. 16 Texas, No. 20 Arkansas, No. 24 Florida State, No. 25 Arizona State, No. 27 USF, No. 40 Mississippi, No. 43 Duke, Houston, Georgia and Rice.
The Cardinal did not participate in last year's event won by Oklahoma State with a score of 29-under 823, 10 shots ahead of Baylor (833). In 2016, Stanford tied for fourth led by current juniors Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda. Wu tied for 24th (73-72-71, 216 +3) and Salinda finished 49th (74-72-71, 222, +9).
"Another strong field," said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Golf. "It's really about the course and wind that might present itself. A lot of elevated tee shots with cross breezes. If you don't have a good understanding of what your ball flight is doing and how to control your trajectory, the course can give you fits."
The sprawling and hilly Tom Fazio layout measures 6,928 yards. However, players will ride in carts.
The Cardinal lineup will consist of Salinda, senior Franklin Huang, Wu, junior Henry Shimp and freshman Ashwin Arasu.
"All the guys have good length, so that makes life a little easier if you can take advantage of the downwind holes," Ray said.
Ray's team made a final day charge at The Prestige, shortened to 36 holes due to high winds. Salinda tied for seventh and Huang shared 10th. Salinda led the field with two eagles.
"That's all you can ask is to have a chance coming down to the wire," said Ray. "Unfortunately, we had a couple of untimely errors, but that's all part of getting better and improving."
Ray is hopeful the momentum will carry over in Mexico.
"We took a lot of positives out of The Prestige, so I'm eager to see what happens," he said. "Should be great weather and fun."
Live results will be available each day at GoStanford.com, and updates can be found on Twitter (@StanfordMgolf), Facebook (StanfordMgolf) and Instagram (@StanfordMgolf).