Emil Nielsen ’28 saved his best for last at the Saint Mary’s Invitational, making back-to-back birdies on the final two holes of the third round on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to claim his first collegiate victory.

Nielsen, currently ranked No. 15 nationally in the latest Scoreboard individual rankings, finished at 10-under par at Bayonet/Black Horse Golf Course, tying three other golfers for first place.

Because Washington had to catch their flight back home, a decision was made not to have a playoff to decide the winner. Instead, a card-off, a method used to break a tie where players’ scorecards are compared starting from the last hole, was held. Nielsen won the card-off to earn co-medalist honors, while the nationally ranked 21st Broncos narrowly beat out Oregon to finish second overall, shooting 18-under par.

Nielsen was tied for third going into the final round, just three shots back from the lead. His final round got off to a rough start, as he bogeyed the first two holes. But Nielsen quickly regrouped, making a birdie shortly after to finish the front nine just 1-over par.

At the turn, Nielsen began to light it up. He birdied holes 10 and 13 to climb the leaderboard. To finish things off, he closed out with back-to-back birdies on the last two holes to finish the day at 3-under par, putting himself in a four-way tie for first.

First-year Ryan Xie ’30 also delivered a strong performance for the Broncos, shooting 5-under par in the final round. Xie recorded eight birdies, including three consecutive birdies on holes No. 10-12 and again on holes No. 16-18. He finished tied for sixth overall at 8-under par, earning his second top-10 finish of the fall.

Senior J.P. Odland ’27 added another under-par round for Santa Clara, shooting 1-under par. Odland was at even through hole No. 16 before he bogeyed hole No. 17, but the misstep didn’t throw him off his game. He responded with an eagle on hole No. 18 to finish 1-under par, and finished the tournament tied for 21st place at 2-under par.

The Broncos’ runner-up finish capped a steady climb up the leaderboard throughout the three-day tournament. Santa Clara opened tied for ninth before jumping to third after the second round and finishing second overall at 18-under par.

The Broncos will now set their sights on their final tournament of the fall, the Preserve Golf Club Collegiate, which kicks off next Monday, Oct. 26, in Monterey.