ACU Shoots 22-Under Par, Places Fourth at Golden Nugget Invitational

Monday, March 2

Lake Charles, La.

Abilene Christian

Golden Nugget Invitational

Preston DeFriend takes a swing at an ACU men's golf practice in Abilene, Texas on Sept. 11, 2025.

ACU Shoots 22-Under Par, Places Fourth at Golden Nugget Invitational

3/3/2026 8:27:00 PM | Men's Golf

FINAL RESULTS

By: Luke White

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Abilene Christian men's golf shot 22-under 842 to close in fourth place at the Golden Nugget Invitational, hosted by Lamar at The Country Club at Golden Nugget on Tuesday. It stands as the Wildcats' third-lowest distance to par in a 54 hole-event in the program's Division I era.

ACU has placed fourth in three of its last four tournaments. Four members of the Wildcats' lineup and five of their six golfers finished below par, led by Preston DeFriend in a tie for 12th place. Four ACU golfers placed within the top 25. The Wildcats were the leading team on par-5 holes at 30-under to go with the third-most birdies with 64.

The Wildcats carded an 11-under 277 in Monday's opening round before closing the day with a 4-under 284. ACU wrapped up the tournament by registering a 7-under 281 in the third and final round to break out of a tie for fourth place.

Lamar captured the tournament crown at 41-under 823, while Tarleton State's Alvaro Pastor earned the individual title at 16-under 200.

ACU's previous performances with lower distances to par came at the LaTour Intercollegiate in 2019-20, where it shot 44-under 820, and the Bayou City Collegiate Classic last season, where it logged a 25-under 839.

With their third tournament in as many weeks complete, the Wildcats will return to action on March 16-17 at the All-American Intercollegiate, hosted by Houston at Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas.

DeFriend recorded his best performance of the season at 7-under 209 thanks to a career-best 4-under 68 in the final round, tying for the third-best score on Tuesday. He tallied five birdies and shot over par on just one hole as he rose nine spots on the leaderboard.

DeFriend notched four birdies in a row within his first five holes as he totaled 13 birdies over three rounds. The Lubbock, Texas native shined on par 5s, tying for the best mark in the field at 9-under.

Colin Leonard also delivered his top placement of the season, landing in 17th at 6-under 210. He issued his second consecutive round at 1-under 71 while totaling 12 birdies. Leonard tied for the fewest bogeys among the Wildcats with just six. He tied for sixth on par 3s at 1-under and drew for seventh on par 5s at 7-under. Leonard's first-round score of 4-under 68 was the best round of his career.

Grégoire Hoyeau rose seven spots to a tie for 19th at 4-under 212 after finishing with his best round at 2-under 70. He tallied five birdies in the third round with 13 total. Hoyeau matched Leonard on par 5s at 7-under.

Buisson continued to be a consistent force for ACU, logging his seventh top-25 effort of the year. He drew for 25th at 3-under 213 while shooting an even-par 72 on Tuesday. Buisson charged the Wildcats and tied for fourth in the field with 16 birdies.

Jack Hollingsed rounded out ACU's lineup in a tie for 50th at 3-over 219. He birdied four holes in the final round.

Niklas Blalock, competing in his second event of the season as an individual, scored a career-best 2-under 70 in the third round to tie for 36th place at 1-under 215. He had three birdies on Tuesday and just one bogey. Blalock matched Leonard for the fewest bogeys by an ACU golfer. He tied for third in the field with 39 pars.