BLANCHARD, Okla. – The University of the Southwest men's golf team closed out the Battle at Winter Creek with its best performance of the tournament, climbing four spots in the team standings to finish eighth overall Tuesday at Winter Creek Golf & Country Club.
The Mustangs improved in every round of the 54-hole event, posting team scores of 313 (+25), 300 (+12), and 293 (+5) to finish at 42-over-par. Southwest's final-round performance was the fourth-best team score of the day and helped the Mustangs move from 12th after the opening round into the top eight by tournament's end.
Christian Martinez paced the Mustangs, tying for 24th overall at 8-over-par. Martinez opened with a 73, followed with a 78 in round two, and closed with a 73 in the final round.
Sam Clair finished tied for 25th at 9-over, carding rounds of 79, 72, and 74. After a challenging opening round, Clair responded with back-to-back rounds in the mid-70s to finish among Southwest's top performers.
Jayden Romig turned in one of the strongest bounce-back efforts of the tournament, finishing tied for 35th at 11-over. Following an opening-round 81, Romig shot an even-par 72 in round two before closing with a 74.
Jesse Valdez placed 63rd overall at 22-over, recording rounds of 80, 78, and 80 across the three rounds.
Konner Iglehart rounded out the Mustang lineup in a tie for 64th at 23-over. After opening with an 84 and posting an 83 in round two, Iglehart fired an even-par 72 in the final round, matching the team's lowest score of the tournament and improving by 11 strokes from the previous day.
Southwest's final-round push was fueled by balanced scoring throughout the lineup, with Iglehart, Clair, and Romig all finishing at two-over or better on the day.
Texas Wesleyan claimed the team championship at 3-under-par, while host USAO placed second at 14-over and Texas Wesleyan B finished third at 22-over.
The Mustangs finished the tournament trending in the right direction, improving their team score in every round and closing the event with momentum for their Spring Season.
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