BOULDER CITY, NEVADA – UT Tyler shot eight-under par as a team and slid up two spots on the team leaderboard into a tie for sixth place on Tuesday at the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
Junior
Carson Wray led four under-par counting scores for the Patriots with a final round 68 at Boulder Creek Golf Club on a day in which UT Tyler posted a 280 team score. The 863 (289-294-280) placed UT Tyler in a three-way tie for sixth place alongside UT Permian Basin and CSU San Bernardino.
The finish for the Patriots solidified head-to-head wins over three opponents currently ranked ahead of UT Tyler in the latest Clippd NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings in Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo.
Lincoln Memorial shot 15-under par as a team on Tuesday to finish 26-under par for the tournament at 838 (276-298-273) and claimed the team title with a six-shot victory over Oklahoma Christian and DBU. Adam Duncan of Colorado Christian carded a final round 67 to win the individual title at 13-under par with rounds of 69-67-67.
Scoring conditions proved ideal on Tuesday as 12 of the 20 teams in the elite field of competition posted under par team scores. Wray made five birdies and an eagle in route to his 68.
Wray,
Jackson Naeger (70),
Jay Shero (71) and
Seth Campbell (71) all finished the day under par as the four counting scores for UT Tyler. Naeger's round of 70 on Tuesday allowed the Keller, Texas product to finish three-under for the event and in a tie for 17
th place individually with his 213 (71-72-70) total.
Shero followed up an individual victory in his UT Tyler debut at the Rattler Invitational with a tie for 31
st place showing following rounds of 72-74-71. Wray leaped into a tie for 34
th place after rounds of 75-75-68, while senior
Carter Lewis rounded out the scoring for the Patriots with rounds of 73-73-74 for a tie for 48
th place finish and a 220 total.
The strong showing in one of the better fields Division II golf will offer in the spring semester will bolster a strong resume for the Patriots. UT Tyler has finished within the top five in four different events and won The Hrncair back on Oct. 16-17.
The Patriots will take on the Oak Tree Invitational at Oak Tree Country Club in their next event on Mar. 18-19 in Edmond, Okla.
