MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The day after cutting strokes off their score from the first round of the Golden Gopher Invite to the second, the Lobo Men’s Golf team carried its momentum with them into the final round. Led by blistering 1-under 70 performances by senior Joseph Abella and freshman Sean Carlon, New Mexico (+43, 895) climbed up the leaderboard and finished tied for eleventh place with Michigan.
Abella was UNM’s top individual finisher after back-to-back rounds of 1-under 70. The senior from Texas finished tied for 17th overall after shooting an 8-over 221. He was one of only three golfers in the entire field to shoot under par in the second and third rounds.
Freshman Samuel Kim gave New Mexico a second top-30 finisher, wrapping up his play tied for 29th with a 10-over 223.
Abella and Carlon combined to sink seven birdies on the front nine. Kim and Gustavo Morantes also saw success before the turn as the pair of Lobos combined for three birdies on the front nine.
The hole of the day for the Lobos was the 12th hole, a 537 par 5. The trio of Carlon, Kim and Morantes all birdied the hole. Carlon and Abella also made New Mexico the only team in the field to have two players shoot under par in the third and final round.
The Lobos will return home to the Land of Enchantment for the annual William H. Tucker Intercollegiate at New Mexico’s Championship South Golf Course. UNM welcomes a great field for the event Sept. 24-25 in Albuquerque.
New Mexico (T-11) 308-302-285-895
T-17th Joseph Abella (+8) 81-70-70
T-29th Samuel Kim (+10) 79-72-72
T-55th Gustavo Morantes (+14) 74-80-73
T-65th Sean Carlon (+18) 82-80-70
72nd Andrej Bevins (+24) 74-81-82