PROVO, Utah — Freshman Sam Choi and sophomore Galven Green of The University of New Mexico men’s golf team each recorded season-best finishes at the PING Cougar Classic hosted by BYU on Saturday as they both claimed top-10 spots. Choi wrapped up the competition tied for third while Green landed in a tie for 10th to lead the Lobos to a sixth-place finish out of 15 squads.
FINAL RESULTS
ROUNDS ONE AND TWO RESULTS | ROUNDS ONE AND TWO RECAP
Choi remained consistent throughout the competition as he shot scores of 70 (-2), 68 (-4) and 70 (-2), respectively, to finish with a combined total of 208 (-8). The freshman led the team in par-3 and par-4 scoring, averaging 2.83 (-2) and 3.97 (-1) in each category, respectively, and his par-3 average tied for third overall. Choi also registered a team-high 16 birdies on the tournament to finish second overall in the category.
Green came in second for the Lobos as he shot a 69 (-4) in round three to bring his total to a four under, 212. He led the Lobos in par-5 scoring with an average of 4.50 (-6) and his 12 birdies tied for sixth in the competition. Green’s previous top finish was a tie for 21st at the Trinity Forest Invitational on September 23 – 25, 2018, while Choi beat out his previous season-best by just one place as he surpassed his fourth-place tie at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate on September 28 – 29, 2018.
Senior Sean Carlon tied for 22nd in the competition with a three-round total of one under, 216. Carlon shot an average of 4.58 (-5) on par-5s and he raked in 11 birdies and 33 pars in his three rounds of work. Senior Augustin Holé and redshirt-sophomore Ross Sinclair each shot a 75 (+3) in round three as both players tied for 46th with scores of 220 (+4). Sinclair led the squad in pars as his 37 overall tied for fifth in the category.
New Mexico’s sole individual, freshman Ignacio Arcaya, shot his best score of the tournament in round three with a two under, 70 as he wrapped up play tied for 46th with a 220 (+4).
As a team, UNM finished in sixth place with a score of 852 (-12), recording its best score of the competition in round two with an eight under, 280. The Lobos finished tied for third in par-5 scoring with an average of 4.67 (-20) and their 56 birdies in the competition landed them second in the category. The squad finished just two strokes behind fifth-place Denver which shot an 852 (-12) and three strokes behind fourth-place Northern Colorado which registered a 15 under, 849.
Host BYU took home first at the tournament as it shot 24 under, 840 while leading in both par-3 and par-5 scoring with averages of 3.00 (E) and 4.60 (-24) in each category, respectively. Second and third place were held by two Mountain West opponents as Boise State finished second at 19 under, 845 and Colorado State landed in third with a 17 under, 847.
BYU’s Peter Kuest took home the individual title as his score of 17 under, 199 marked an eight-stroke advantage over second-place Parathakorn Suyasri (CSU) who shot nine under, 207. The Rams had three competitors finish in the top-10, while UNM, BYU and Denver each had two.
The Lobos will be back in action on Friday, April 26 – Sunday, April 28 as they head to the Mountain West Championships in Tucson, Ariz.