In Independence, Minn., the 16th-ranked University of New Mexico men’s golf team struggled late in the first round of the Gopher Invitational and couldn’t recover any momentum in the second round.
Senior Gavin Green shot a 2-over 144 (71-73) to tie for sixth, but the Lobos also are tied for sixth among the 14 teams, shooting a 36-hole total of 29-over 597 on Sunday.
UNM trails tournament-leading Baylor by 25 strokes heading into Monday’s final 18 holes at the Windsong Farm Golf Course.
“We had a couple guys start well but didn’t do a good job finishing the first round,” UNM coach Glen Millican said. “We had a poor second round, but one-third of the event remains. We can make up for our mistakes today with a solid round tomorrow.”
The Lobos were fighting for the lead until the last few holes of the first round. Still, their 8-over 292 left them in third place, just three strokes behind the front-running Bears.
Junior Joe Abella’s opening-round 69 for a 2-under score put him in third place, and Green’s even-par 71 was good for a sixth-place tie.
All five Lobos, however, shot higher second-round scores by two strokes or more.
Abella had a 5-over 76 in the afternoon to leave him in a tie for ninth at 3-over 145. Junior Nelson da Silva Ramos, playing for senior Victor Perez, who is finishing up and obligation with the French national team, and sophomore Andrej Bevins shot matching 154s (both 76-78) and are tied for 43rd in the event.
Senior Sam Saunders is tied for 50th at 156 (76-80).
The Lobos are scheduled to tee off at 6:33 Mountain Time on Monday. Live scoring is available at birdiefire.com.