LAREDO, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's golf team claimed first place at the Jack Brown Memorial Invite at Laredo Country Club following rounds of 295-289 on Monday and Tuesday.
 
The team crown is the second for the program at the Division II level after last spring's victory at the King-Alfred Spring Invitational. The Patriots shot the low round of the field in both rounds following a 289 on Tuesday afternoon to finish 11 strokes clear of second-place St. Mary's.
 
Sophomore Jackson Naeger led three UT Tyler finishers within the top 10 of the individual leaderboard with a tie for second-place finish. Naeger posted the low round of the field on Tuesday with a two-under par round of 70 to finish with a 142 (72-70) for the event.
 
Juniors Alex Kopenhaver and Seth Campbell both joined Naeger with individual top-10 finishes at Laredo Country Club. Kopenhaver finished in a tie for fourth place with a 145 (72-73) total and Campbell in a tie for sixth place with a 146 (74-72) for the two rounds.
 
UT Tyler led the field with 30 birdies between the two rounds, the majority of which came on par fives. The Patriots finished -12 as a team on par fives for the event, 11 strokes better than St. Mary's in the category.
 
Tuesday's round completed what was a dominant tournament for the Patriots, and solidified two solid rounds to begin the championship spring semester for the program. UT Tyler claimed head-to-head victories over in-region opponents #43 St. Mary's, Lubbock Christian, Fort Lewis and Texas A&M International.
 
Freshman Luke Emerson provided a key fourth counting score for UT Tyler on Tuesday afternoon with a final round 74, and jumped into a tie for 12^th place on the individual leaderboard with a 151. Graduate student Carson Whitton recorded a second-straight round of 77 to finish in a tie for 20^th place with a 154.
 
Both individual competitors for the Patriots put forth solid tournaments as well, as Carter Lewis followed up an opening 72 with a 74 to join Naeger, Kopenhaver and Campbell within the individual top 10 in a tie for sixth place. Junior Garrett Honeycutt posted a 76 on Tuesday to finish with a two-round total of 151 (75-76) and in a tie for 12^th.
 
The victory at the Jack Brown Memorial is the 55^th team victory in the 20^th season of the UT Tyler men's golf program.
 
The Patriots will be back in action on Mar. 6-7 at the Las Vegas Desert Classic in Boulder City, Nevada.