ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Several members of The University of New Mexico men’s golf team, past and present, are earning national recognition this summer for outstanding performances. Three Lobos earned overall wins last week including former Lobo Sam Saunders, who claimed the Forme Tour title, current Lobo freshman Matthew Watkins, who won a Texas Collegiate Amateur Tour (TCAT) event, and current Lobo junior Sam Choi, who claimed the NM/West Texas Amateur title.
Among this week’s successful Lobo outings, freshman Bastien Amat tied for eighth at the European Amateur with a score of 66 in the final two rounds to finish 10 under par. He entered the third round with an even par (69-73 in the first two rounds) before posting the huge third and fourth rounds to jump up nearly 60 places on the leaderboard.
Saunders finished the inaugural Forme Tour -16 through four rounds (66-68-71-67) to tie for first at the L&J Golf Championship at Jennings Mill Country Club in Watkinsville, Ga. He claimed the win with a six-foot par putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole.
The victory marked Saunders’ first PGA TOUR-affiliated Tour win. Full Forme Tour Press Release
Watkins, who made his Lobo debut this past season, won the Texas Collegiate Amateur Tour by an impressive 21 strokes. He finished the competition -20 as the only competitor to finish under par. He registered scores of 65, 67 and 64 including an eight-under third round. The second-place player finished +1. Full Results
Choi won the New Mexico/West Texas Amateur title at the Isleta Eagle Golf Course in Albuquerque on Sunday with a final score of -16, two strokes ahead of second place. Choi shot a 65 in round one and a 66 in round two to place second through the first two rounds, but claimed the win after his 69 in round three. Full Results
In addition, former Lobo Spencer Levin tied for fifth overall at the Live and Work in Maine Open. He finished -13 after shooting scores of 69, 65, 68 and 69. Full Results
The individual Lobo success comes just after UNM advanced to the 2021 NCAA Albuquerque Regional and Amat earned 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors, to go along with Choi’s All-Mountain West Team selection.