Men's Golf | 9/13/2015 10:24:00 PM
Final Results USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The ACU Wildcats fired a 6-over-par 294 Sunday in the final round of the 47th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational to finish tied for 13th in the first fall tournament of the 2015-16 season.
The Wildcats finished tied with Utah at 22-over-par 886, one shot behind Boise State, which finished 12th at 21-over-par 885. Colorado State shot a 7-under-par 281 in Sunday's final round to rally past in-state rival Colorado to win the team title at 15-under-par 849.
The Rams entered the final round at 8-under-par for the tournament and three shots behind the Buffaloes, but turned in the second-best round of the tournament to pull out the team win by three shots. Colorado was 1-under-par as a team on Sunday to finish at 12-under-par 852. The hosts from Air Force finished 11th at 17-over-par 881 after shooting a 2-over-par 290 on Sunday.
"We were the only team who was new to this tournament and the course's green complexes and high altitude environment take time to adjust to," said head coach Tom Shaw. "We clearly struggled with both during the first round, but began to find our form as the tournament progressed. It was a positive experience that should help us prepare for next week's event in Fort Collins, where we'll face a strong field under similar conditions."
Junior college transfer Ryan Beatty finished tied for 12th in the individual standings after shooting a 1-over-par 73 on Sunday for a total of 214 over the three rounds. Dillon Vaughn shot a 3-under-par 69 Sunday to finish 17th at even-par 216 for the three rounds.
Senior Luke Carpenter moved up 11 spots in the final round as his 1-over-par 73 helped him finish at 7-over-par 223 and tied for 46th place. Garrett Glanton (78th at 234) and Robert Johnson (82nd at 244) rounded out the Wildcats' five finishers in the tournament.
"I'm really proud of Ryan Beatty and Dillon Vaughn's performance in Colorado," said Shaw. "Ryan showed us what kind of player he can be for us with his second round 66 and Dylan continues to be a very steady presence in the lineup.
"It was also nice to have Luke Carpenter in the ACU lineup for the first time since 2013. Luke can be a very dynamic player and he gave us a glimpse of those skills during the tournament. I told the team that our lineup has more firepower top to bottom compared to years past."
The Wildcats will be back in action Sept. 21-22 at the Colorado State Ram Masters Invitational at the Fort Collins Country Club in Fort Collins, Colo.
