Texas Tech Athletics
NCAA Championships
Texas Tech Fires 6-under 282, Misses Cut By One
May 31, 2015 | Men's Golf
May 31, 2015
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Texas Tech posted a 6-under par 282 Sunday in the third round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships at The Concession Golf Club, but came up one shot short of advancing to the fourth and final round of stroke play Monday.
No. 8 Tech (304-305-282--891) carded the tournament's best team round on nine holes with a 6-under, 138 showing on its first nine Sunday (holes 10-18). Tech's 6-under 282 was the second-lowest team round of the day so far (UCLA, 280) and second-lowest at an NCAA Championship for a Red Raider squad. Tech shot 12-under (276) in the third round at the 2013 Championships and 8-under (280) in 2010.
Freshmen Wes Artac and Mito Pereira along with sophomore Hannes Ronneblad all fired 2-under 70s along with senior Clement Sordet's even par 72. Fellow senior Matias Dominguez finished up with a 9-over 81.
The Red Raiders had six birdies in the first four holes on counting scorecards to get to 3-under quickly, led by Pereira and Artac (two birds each). Both players along with Sordet birdied the 545-yard, par-4 13th in different ways. Sordet and Pereira hit in 8-10 footers while Artac chipped in from the right side below the green after clearing it on his approach from the left.
Tech (+27) had to play the waiting game as teams finished up the afternoon rounds Sunday and then were suspended due to weather until 7 a.m. ET Monday. The Red Raiders moved up 10 spots to 17th but we're one shot behind Washington and SMU (+26) who tied for 15th. SMU would win in a two-hole playoff to advance to the fourth and final round of stroke play on Monday, which will decide the top eight for the match play quarterfinals.
Artac would bogey the 15th hole - his worst hole of the week (+4) - for a second straight day before rattling off seven consecutive pars before a birdie on the par-3, 6th. He would give up a stroke on seven then gain it back on eight with second birdie on the par 4 before just missing a birdie on No. 9.
Pereira made a strong start after back-to-back 79s the first two days with a birdie on the short, par-4 12th after driving the green and nearly sinking a long eagle from 50 feet. He scored three consecutive pars after a birdie on 13 and was one of only two Tech players to birdie the par-5, 17th on Sunday. Pereira made the turn at 1-under and then birdied three holes to get as low as 4-under before bogeys on Nos. 7 and 9 to end his round.
Sordet and Ronneblad gave Tech a fighting chance in the end with each making 8-10 foot birdies on the ninth and final hole.
Ronneblad played some of his best golf on the first nine (10-18) with a 3-under 33. It was the only time all week that he played 10-18 at par or better (+1 first round, +4 second round). His only over par score came on a double bogey at the par-4, 5th.
Players Mentioned
