The New Mexico men’s golf team dominated the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate event over the weekend.
The Lobos didn’t waste any time jumping out to a 7-stroke lead after round 1, and posted a team score of 21-under for the first day. The Lobos led the scoring in all three rounds, and were the only team on the field to shoot better than par in each round.
Head coach Glen Millican said he was pleased to see the team show such consistent play and patience throughout the weekend. In fact, each player posted at least one round under par in the tournament.
“I like the way our guys played. I’m pleased with the way we responded from not playing well in Minnesota,” he said. “There can be pressure playing on the home course.”
The event, which showcased 16 universities and a field of 100 players, began on Friday with each participant playing 18 holes over two rounds, and culminating on Saturday with the final 18 holes being played.
Millican said he was equally pleased by the final round, where several changes, such as hole locations being moved, made it much more difficult and risky for players to be aggressive.
“(On Friday), the course was really scorable. The course played a little softer today; it changes,” Millican said. “Our guys know that par’s a great score. You just have to adjust, be patient and know that our good golf is enough to get it done.”
UNM sophomore Gustavo Morantes posted the best score after the first round with an impressive 6-under par. His teammate, junior Andrej Bevins, posted back-to-back rounds of 4-under par and eventually took the lead at the end of the first day. Bevins finished day one at 8-under par, and Morantes was a single stroke back in second place.
The final holes of the event had several players within a shot of the lead. Bevins held a 1-shot lead over UNLV’s AJ McInerney and San Diego’s Alex Chiarella going into the 18th hole.
His second shot left him with a 25-foot putt, where Bevins closed things out in dramatic fashion. Instead of settling for a birdie, Bevins dialed in and sank the deep putt to end his day and the tournament with an eagle.
“I knew when I made that, it was over. I didn’t have to worry about any more holes,” Bevins said. “I could just enjoy this win and the team win. It doesn’t get much better than this.”
Bevins topped the leaderboard at 10-under par for the tournament. UNLV’s McInerney would birdie the 18th and finish at 8-under. A bogey dropped Chiarella into a tie for third with Morantes at 7-under.
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As a team, the UNM men shot a mind-boggling 24-under par, finishing 19 shots better than its closest competitor, Texas Tech. UNLV and Colorado State finished in a tie for third at 4-over, and San Diego State rounded out the top five at 8-over.
The other schools participating were Wyoming, San Diego, New Mexico State, Texas Christian University, Bowling Green State, Colorado, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, Arizona, University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Denver.
The UNM players that competed as individuals also played well. Sean Carlon was third among individuals with a final score of 7-over, and Benjamin Tolsma was tied for fourth at 8-over.
Robert Maler is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.
