CHICO, Calif. - First-year Vineet Vallamsetty has had a strong opening year with the Wildcats, proving that he belongs in the starting lineup for Chico State and that he can handle pressure situations with hardware on the line. Vallamsetty was three-strokes down heading into his final trio of holes in Turlock, finding a way to card three birdies in a row to claim his second win of the season. 

His clutch put on the 18th hole earns Vallamsetty this week's FloCollege/CCAA Men's Golfer of the Week.

Vallamsetty won the Hanny/Stanislaus Invitational by one stroke with a 208 (-5). After posting a 76 (+5) in the opening round, Vallamsetty continued to climb the leaderboard as he posted a 67 (-4) in round 2 and a 65 (-7) in the final. 

The freshman from Newbury Park, Calif., had seven birdies and only one bogey in the final round to finish just in front of Cal State San Bernardino's Kamron Hopson. Vallamsetty led the tournament field in par-3 scoring (-2) and tied for the lead in par-4 scoring (-1). His 13 birdies also tied for the tournament lead.

This is Vallamsetty's second Golfer of the Week award after claiming the individual title in his first collegiate start in October at the Wildcat Invite, winning the playoff against his senior teammate. 

Chico State will now prepare for the CCAA Championships, which will be held April 20-22 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, Calif.