Lobo Men Defeat Stanford, Tie Texas on Opening Day of NB3 Match Play
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. –– The New Mexico men’s golf team began play Tuesday at the inaugural NB3 Match Play, a four-school made-for-TV event airing on the Golf Channel. The Lobos defeated Stanford 3-2 in the morning match at Twin Warriors Golf Club, before tying Texas in the afternoon 2-2-1.
After two of the three matches of the round robin format, New Mexico State leads the men’s standings with 6.5 points. The Lobos and Texas are tied for second at 5.5 points, while Stanford is fourth with 2.5 points. In Wednesday’s final matches, New Mexico will play New Mexico State and Texas will play Stanford.
In the morning match, the Lobos downed Stanford 3-2 with victories by Mesa Falleur, Alvaro Portillo and Clark Sonnenberg. Falleur never trailed as he topped TK Chantananuwat 3&2. Portillo also never trailed in his match, winning 3&1 over Ethan Gao. Sonnenberg trailed Logan Kim by one at the midway point of his match, before winning five of the next eight holes to secure a 3&1 win.
Against Texas, the Lobos got wins from Carson Herron and Wyatt Provence, while Sonnenberg halved his match. Herron took the lead on third hole of his match against Daniel Bennett and never gave it up, winning 3&2. Provence trailed by one early in his match with Luke Potter, but won four of the next nine holes en route to a 3&2 win. Sonnenberg never led in his match against Jack Gilbert, but drew even with a birdie on No. 17 to help secure a tie in his match.
“I am proud of the guys and how we battled today,” said head coach Jake Harrington. “That morning match against Stanford was a match that had a lot of ups and downs. The great thing was the guys who didn’t play as well in the morning, played well in the afternoon and contributed to our tie with Texas. To beat Stanford and tie Texas, two elite teams that are annually national contenders, was a good day for our team.”
The final matches on the NB3 Match Play will begin at 11 a.m. at Twin Warriors Golf Club, with New Mexico playing New Mexico State on both the men’s and women’s side. The Golf Channel coverage will air live from 2:30-5:30 p.m. MT.