May 14—The Lobos are back in the championship.
New Mexico men’s golf finished in third place at the 54-hole NCAA Tallahassee Regional, locking up its third-straight NCAA Championship appearance with a final round surge.
Playing at Seminole National Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida, tournament host Florida State (-29) won the regional outright while Ole Miss (-20) and UNM (-14) placed second and third, respectively. Georgia (-7) and Augusta (-3) rounded out the top five advancing to the NCAA Championships (May 23-28) at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
UNM made 16 birdies to three bogeys and two double bogeys Wednesday, shaving off 12 strokes after starting the final round at two-under. Carson Herron (-3 on the week) and Mesa Falleur (even-par) each carded a four-under 68, representing the Lobos’ lowest scores of the day.
Wyatt Provence (-2) added a three-under 69 while Oliver Cage put up a one-under 71. Clark Sonnenberg (+2) — perhaps the Lobos’ steadiest player over the first two rounds — carded a seven-over 79.
“Carson, our senior, gets to finish his career the right way,” head coach Jake Harrington said in a release. “We needed the entire team. Clark didn’t have his best game today, but he kept us in position over the first two days. The other guys stepped up today, and that’s what we needed.”
With a top five finish, UNM advances to its 45th NCAA Championship appearance. The Lobos finished 27th overall last season, their first appearance under Harrington.
“The guys played great and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” UNM’s second-year coach added. “They accepted the challenge. I told them to go win the day. We were one shot off of doing that, but it sure feels like we did.
“It is a great feeling to go back to La Costa.”
NMSU: After starting the final round of the NCAA Auburn Regional in third place, New Mexico State shot 19-over as a team and missed the cut Wednesday at Auburn University Club in Auburn, Alabama. The Aggies (+19) finished eighth as a team.
Tournament host Auburn (-32) won the regional by 27 strokes.
Mateo Payán (+1) led NMSU in the final round with a two-over 74 and Ethan Klose (+10) carded a six-over 78. Javier Delgadillo (+9) shot a seven-over 79 while Aidan Thomas (+8) and Evaristo Mariscal (+8) each turned in an eight-over 80.
The Aggies have not made the NCAA Championship since 1995.
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