ROCKWALL, TEXAS – UT Tyler men's golf finished as runner up in the Lone Star Conference Championship on Wednesday for the second time in program history.
 
The Patriots took down Midwestern State 4-1 and then fell just short to Cameron 1.5-3.5 in the championship match.
 
SEMIFINALS: UT Tyler 4 | Midwestern State 1
 
The Patriots kept their foot on the pedal throughout the first match of the day, delivering a resounding victory over the Mustangs.
 
Preston Chabaud was the lead man out for the Patriots, and held an early three up lead through five. That lead would hold through 13 holes before a birdie from the Mustangs cut the lead to two. That lead held up until the 18^th, where Chabaud held on for a one shot win.
 
Corbin Murray was the second man out and battled his way to a tie through nine holes as the two players combined for four birdies, two double bogeys, and four bogeys.
 
Two early mistakes from the Mustangs on the back nine put Murray up three through 11, and he played the rest of the way in one under par to cruise to a six up win and make it 2-0.
 
Blake Harwell would make a huge birdie to a Mustangs bogey on the third hole of the day, spurring him to a lead he would never relinquish. He played the front nine in one under par, opening a five shot lead. Another birdie against a bogey made his lead six after 11 holes, and he played one under par on the final nine to take an eight shot victory, putting the third point up and giving the Patriots the win.
 
Jacob Holloway added the fourth and final point of the first match, shooting one under on his first round to take a three shot lead heading into the back nine. He shot 35 on that back nine, one better than his opponent and good enough for a four shot victory.
 
The Patriots with the win moved on to their second LSC Championship match in program history, with the first coming in 2023. They would face off with no. 2 seed Cameron, who took a 3.5 to 1.5 win over West Texas A&M.
 
FINALS: UT Tyler 1.5 | Cameron 3.5
 
Preston DeSerrano was first out of the gate in the finals, and fell behind one shot through five. He tied it up with a birdie on his next hole, and then turned on the jets to take a three shot lead after nine holes. From there, he kept the pedal all the way to the floor, doubling his lead on the back nine to eventually win by six shots.
 
Right behind him was senior Jacob Holloway, who put together a spirited battle. He would fall behind by five shots after eight holes, but gained all five shots back in the next five holes to pull even on 13. From there it was more of a dead heat, ultimately ending in a tie and the two teams splitting half a point.
 
Cameron would draw level with the third match, taking down Preston Chabaud in a tightly fought match throughout. Chabaud played level par over the opening nine, and then opened up a two shot lead through 12 holes. However, the Aggies battled back, ultimately taking a three shot win.
 
The Patriots would put together a pair of spirited battles in the fourth and fifth matches as they attempted to take their own lead. Corbin Murray in match four fell down three early, but came flying back to bring it to a one shot deficit with four holes to play. Cameron held on however, putting themselves in front at 2.5-1.5 with one match left.
 
Freshman Blake Harwell stood in that anchor match and was dead even after nine holes with both players playing three over par. He made six straight pars to open the back nine, taking a one shot lead. The Aggies would flip the match on 16, eventually taking a slim one shot win and the title.
 
UT Tyler with the runner-up finish has likely secured its bid into the NCAA South Central Regional Championship. That tournament field will be selected by the committee on Sunday, April 26^th.
 
The NCAA South Central/West Regional Tournament will take place May 7-9 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, California.