ABILENE -- Abilene Christian golf recorded its best team showing of the fall season Tuesday, placing second at the Sam Houston State-hosted Bentwater Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 12-over 876. The Wildcats, led by fifth place
Alex Clouse, recorded a 294 (+6) in round one followed by back-to-back 291s (+3) in rounds two and three.
ACU entered the third round tied for first place with Oral Roberts, but the hometown Bearkats stormed to the top of the team leader board with a 1-under 287. ORU, meanwhile, slipped all the way to fourth in the nine-team field with a 9-over 297.
"We played some solid team golf this week where everyone contributed," said head coach
Tom Shaw. "The team put themselves in position to win the golf tournament, which is always a lot of fun, especially against the defending Southland Conference champions on their home golf course.
"You learn so much from this experience, win or lose...it was a blast. The loss stings for sure and it should. We will be better for it and close the deal next time. I'm very proud of these young men. The more I'm around them the more I learn that they represent the very best of college golf. It's an honor to be their coach."
Clouse, a junior from Flower Mound, Texas, fired a 3-under 69 to begin the tournament to catapult himself into the top five, where he remained throughout rounds two and three despite carding a 1-over 73 and 2-over 74. He started today's action with consecutive birdies and completed the front nine at 1-under par, but three bogeys across the back nine negated further progress.
Junior transfer
Jake Bay was the Wildcats' next highest finisher at 5-over 221 in tying for 12th followed by sophomore
Francisco Osio (6-over 222), freshman Zane Huesel (7-over 223) and sophomore
Brian Choe (17-over 233).
Logan Diomede competed as an individual, placing 20th with an 8-over 224.
Heusel posted the Wildcats' lowest round Tuesday with a 2-under 70 after starting with an 82 and 71 on Monday, while Osio tied SHSU's Noah Steele for the most pars at this week's tournament with 36. Osio additionally eagled the par-five 16th hole today in finishing the third round 1-under par.
Steele, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Month, placed fourth of 60 competitors with a 2-under 214, and medalist honors went to his teammate William Holcomb, who finished at 6-under 210 thanks to a 68 in the third round. Texas State's Logan Lockwood was the runner-up at 5-under 211 and UTRGV's Alex Summers placed third at 4-under 212.
Despite being edged by the Bearkats on their home course, ACU still defeated seven other teams this week including Southland Conference rivals Stephen F. Austin and Houston Baptist. The Lumberjacks finished 27 strokes over par to place sixth, and the Huskies finished eighth at 42-over 906.
The tournament average per round was 75.81 and the Wildcats' finished below this mark in nine of 15 rounds led by Clouse's 69.
Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Las Cruces and the New Mexico State Golf Course for the annual Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate. Action begins Monday, Oct. 14.
