The Vandal men’s golf team finished their fall season Tuesday at the Herb Wimberly Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Vandals finished strong this week with a score of 859, which was enough to tie for sixth place. Coach John Means said the goal is always to win the tournament, but the team played well.
“The guys played consistent,” Means said. “They played good solid golf.”
UNLV won the tournament convincingly while finishing at 34-under par. Wichita State finished in second place at 826. New Mexico State — the home team — finished 29 shots behind UNLV at third. Hunter Sparks of Wichita State was the top individual finisher in the tournament. His score of 199 put him at 14-under par.
“UNLV has played this golf course and played this tournament well for years,” Means said. “They played lights out.”
Jarred Bossio was the high finisher for the Vandals. He finished 2-under par, which put him in a tie for ninth place. He shot a 69 in the final round.
“The last round of every college golf tournament is set up to be the most difficult of all the three rounds,” Means said. “(The team) stayed to the game plan this time. They did a good job.”
Three other Vandals also finished the tournament in the top half of the pack. Junior Gordon Webb shot a 216 to tie for 24th. Senior Justin Kadin tied for 35th with a score of 219. Alex Pounds tied for 38th finishing with a score of 220, one shot behind Kadin. Senior Stefan Richardson finished tied for 47th, but his score of 221 was only one shot behind Pounds.
Wind and weather were not factors for the Vandals like had been for past tournaments. The 80 degree weather and sunny skies was the best condition the Vandals had seen all year.
“It was probably the best weather I had ever (seen) in a golf tournament in my life,” Means said. “It was very enjoyable. The guys were having fun.”
The Vandals took encouragement from finishing in a tie with WAC conference rival San Jose State. Both Idaho and San Jose, a team that had beat Idaho earlier in the season, finished the final round with a score of 285 — keeping them tied.
“We weren’t paired with (San Jose) so we don’t have any idea what they’re doing, they weren’t in the same group,” Means said. “As bad as they had beaten us earlier this fall, it’s good that the guys know they can compete with them.”
With the fall golf season behind them, the team will spend the winter preparing for the spring season. During the offseason, the players can schedule individual practices with the coaches.
“We ended fall on a good note,” Means said. “We get a couple of months where we can workout with them individually and make some changes in their swing.”