The Sam Houston State men’s golf team finished fifth overall at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate while the Bearkats women’s team ended in sixth at the FedEx Memphis Invitational Tuesday.
Going into Tuesday, senior Zach Cabra was in fifth place after shooting a 68 in the first round and a 73 in the second round. After a tough sixth hole that led to a triple bogey in the second round, Cabra shot a 74 in the third round, which dropped him to finish tied for 28th.
“I feel I played okay this week,” Cabra said. “[I] started the tournament off really good but couldn’t continue the momentum throughout the tournament. I need to continue to work hard and get to where I need to be in order to help this team win.”
On the other hand, senior J.T. Taylor had a strong return to the green after redshirting in 2013. Taylor ended seventh individually after a mediocre 72 score on the first 18 holes.
Starting the second round tied for 21st place, sophomore Klein Klotz climbed back in the standings in the last two rounds. He shot a 73 in the second round and a 68 in third round. Klotz skyrocketed up the individual leaderboard and finished 11th overall.
Teammates sophomore transfer Andrew Ertel and freshman Jake McCrory had solid scores in second and third rounds, but couldn’t find top 20 finishes, ending the tournament at 36th and 75th, respectively. Ertel shot a 69 in the second round and a 71 in the third round while McCrory shot a 73 before a 76 to end the tournament.
“We finished the tournament under par and in a good position,” Cabra said. “We realize that a couple shots here and there kept us from winning, but we learn from that. It was an overall good performance to start the year.”
Senior Logan Boatner competed individually and finished 70th.
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick said the tournament was a great event and showed of his talented defending Southland Conference championship team.
SHSU topped Conference USA’s Rice and University of Texas – San Antonio and Southeastern Conference Mississippi State.
“I’m really proud of the guys for having a chance to win,” he said. “They stuck to a great game plan.”
In the women’s tournament, sophomore Paige Nelson had the best overall performance on the team. Her play was consistent as she shot a 70 in the first round, 73 in the second and a 74 in the third round. Nelson finished tied for sixth.
Senior Alisa White wasn’t far behind her teammate in the leaderboard, finishing tied for 8th. Junior Nicole Budnik celebrated her birthday Tuesday tied for 35th.
Sophomore transfer Celeste Lo ended her first tournament as a Bearkat at a tie for 43rd. Freshman Sarah Black ended her first collegiate tournament at the bottom for the Kats at 55th with a final score of 24-over par.
The men’s team will return to action Sept. 28 in Wisconsin. The women’s te will hit the course next week at Monore, La.