New Mexico Men’s Golf at Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate
When: Sunday thru Tuesday
Course: Bulls Bay Golf Club (par-72, 7,282 yards), Awendaw, S.C.
Participating teams: No. 4 Auburn, No. 7 South Carolina, No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 25 New Mexico, No. 26 Virginia, No. 41 Duke, No. 46 North Carolina State, Charleston Southern, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, GRU Augusta, Kentucky, Missouri, Winthrop, Wisconsin
Lobos in the field: Andrej Bevins, Gavin Green, Gustavo Morantes, Sam Saunders, Sean Romero
Live scoring: Golfstat.com
Awendaw, S.C. — New Mexico’s Gavin Green fired a 5-under-par 67 Sunday in the first round of the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate and shares the lead with three other collegiate golfers going into Monday’s second round.
Green had six birdies and an eagle on the par-4 16th hole to stake his share of the 18-hole lead along with Auburn’s Matt Gilchrest, Coastal Carolina’s Andrew Dorn and Missouri’s Jacob Fair. Kentucky’s David Snyder and Duke’s Adam Wood are a shot behind with 4-under cards of 68.
The Lobos are in fourth place after the first round with a 284 card that has them seven shots off the 277 pace set by Missouri. UNM is 4-under-par as a team and Missouri is 11-under followed by South Carolina at 8-under (280) and Coastal Carolina at 6-under (282).
Missouri had three golfers dip into the 60s to help it claim the first-round lead. The Lobos got steady play from Andrej Bevins (71), Sam Saunders (73), Sean Romero (73) and Gustavo Morantes (74). Auburn, at 285, is a shot behind the 25th-ranked Lobos.
“Gavin had a very good round for us and we aren’t in bad position as a team,” said Lobo Coach Glen Millican. “We just need a few more putts to drop, but that’s what you always need if you want to win a collegiate tournament with a strong field like this one.”
The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate will end on Tuesday. The 15-team field includes seven ranked teams, with No. 4 Auburn and No. 7 South Carolina headlining the event. Missouri, the first-round leader, is not ranked.
Millican says his Lobos are approaching this event looking to create and duplicate a routine that will carry his team into the Mountain West Tournament and NCAA play.
The Lobos also are looking to avenge the finish they had at the San Diego Classic on March 10. UNM had a 12-shot lead heading into the final 18 holes, but finished third. Green had a seven-stroke lead after 36 holes, but fell to the No. 4 spot.
“We gave one away, but now we have the chance to earn one with a strong finish,” said Millican. This is UNM’s first-ever appearance in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate. It also is a course that the Lobos have never played.
After the Hootie at Bulls Bay, the Lobos will travel directly from South Carolina to Georgia to play in the 3M Augusta Invitational April 4-5.