Hoyeau, DeFriend in Top 10 as Wildcats Open WAC Championship in Tie For Seventh
4/25/2025 7:43:00 PM | Men's Golf
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PAYSON, Ariz. - No. 143 Abilene Christian men's golf entered a three–way tie for seventh place following the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Championship on Friday. Grégoire Hoyeau and Preston DeFriend represented the Wildcats in ties for third and 10th place, respectively, at The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines.
No. 5 seed ACU shot 16-over 304 alongside Utah Valley and Southern Utah, two strokes back of fifth-place Utah Tech and four strokes behind UT Arlington and California Baptist in a tie for fourth. No. 4 seed Seattle U leads the nine-team field at 2-over 290. No. 1 seed Grand Canyon is in second at 5-over 293.
Last year's individual champion, the Redhawks' Kevin Li, is tied atop the leaderboard with Tarleton State's Carson Gallaher at 1-under 71.
The Wildcats shot second-best in the field on par 3 holes at 3-over but shot last on par 5s at 11-over. ACU ranked seventh with 49 pars and 11 birdies.
Hoyeau tied with four other golfers after shooting an even-par 72. He neutralized three bogeys with three birdies and shot on par for five consecutive holes on two occasions. He shot even par on par 3s, par 4s and par 5s. Hoyeau's shooting on par 3s tied for fifth and his shooting on par 4s tied for fourth. He led the Wildcats with 12 pars and was second with three birdies.
DeFriend met Hoyeau in the top 10 at 2-over 74. He shot 3-under through his first six holes but finished the front nine at even par and the back nine at 2-over. DeFriend led the field on par 3s at 2-under but was 2-over on par 5s. He paced ACU with four birdies and tied for second with 10 pars.
Trenton Johnson tied for 37th at 6-over 78 despite shooting even par through the front nine. He matched Hoyeau on par 3s at even par to power the Wildcats but was 4-over on par 5s. Johnson tied for the team's second-most pars with 10.
Jack Hollingsed followed in a tie for 40th with an 8-over 80 first round. He shot 4-over on both the front and the back nine, collecting nine pars. Jaime Lewis rounded out ACU's lineup in a tie for 42nd at 10-over 82.
The Wildcats will be in the first group to get the WAC Championship's second round started on Saturday alongside Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Lewis will tee off from hole No. 1 at 8:30 a.m. (MST), with Hollingsed, Johnson, DeFriend and Hoyeau following in 10-minute increments, respectively.
PAYSON, Ariz. - No. 143 Abilene Christian men's golf entered a three–way tie for seventh place following the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Championship on Friday. Grégoire Hoyeau and Preston DeFriend represented the Wildcats in ties for third and 10th place, respectively, at The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines.
No. 5 seed ACU shot 16-over 304 alongside Utah Valley and Southern Utah, two strokes back of fifth-place Utah Tech and four strokes behind UT Arlington and California Baptist in a tie for fourth. No. 4 seed Seattle U leads the nine-team field at 2-over 290. No. 1 seed Grand Canyon is in second at 5-over 293.
Last year's individual champion, the Redhawks' Kevin Li, is tied atop the leaderboard with Tarleton State's Carson Gallaher at 1-under 71.
The Wildcats shot second-best in the field on par 3 holes at 3-over but shot last on par 5s at 11-over. ACU ranked seventh with 49 pars and 11 birdies.
Hoyeau tied with four other golfers after shooting an even-par 72. He neutralized three bogeys with three birdies and shot on par for five consecutive holes on two occasions. He shot even par on par 3s, par 4s and par 5s. Hoyeau's shooting on par 3s tied for fifth and his shooting on par 4s tied for fourth. He led the Wildcats with 12 pars and was second with three birdies.
DeFriend met Hoyeau in the top 10 at 2-over 74. He shot 3-under through his first six holes but finished the front nine at even par and the back nine at 2-over. DeFriend led the field on par 3s at 2-under but was 2-over on par 5s. He paced ACU with four birdies and tied for second with 10 pars.
Trenton Johnson tied for 37th at 6-over 78 despite shooting even par through the front nine. He matched Hoyeau on par 3s at even par to power the Wildcats but was 4-over on par 5s. Johnson tied for the team's second-most pars with 10.
Jack Hollingsed followed in a tie for 40th with an 8-over 80 first round. He shot 4-over on both the front and the back nine, collecting nine pars. Jaime Lewis rounded out ACU's lineup in a tie for 42nd at 10-over 82.
The Wildcats will be in the first group to get the WAC Championship's second round started on Saturday alongside Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Lewis will tee off from hole No. 1 at 8:30 a.m. (MST), with Hollingsed, Johnson, DeFriend and Hoyeau following in 10-minute increments, respectively.
Players Mentioned
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