#7 Arkansas Ties Record and Places 4th at Valspar Collegiate
PALM CITY, Fla. – Facing one of the toughest fields in college golf, #7 Arkansas fired a final-round, 15-under-par 269 and tied a school record with a 54-hole total of 819 (-33) to place fourth at the 16-team Valspar Collegiate Invitational, played at the Floridian National Golf Club (par 71).
Gerardo Gomez led the Hogs in the final round by posting a career-best, 7-under 64 to finish third. It was his best career finish and his third top-5 finish of the season (and his career). For Gomez:
- His 64 ties for the third-best, 18-hole total in school history (behind a pair of 63s).
- His -7 ties for eighth-best, 18-hole score in school history (behind two at -9 and six at -8).
- His 200 ties for fifth-best, 54-hole total in school history.
- His -13 ties for fifth-best, 54-hol score in school history.
Arkansas’s 15-under 269 was the second-best round of the day and moved the Razorbacks up one spot to fourth. For the tournament:
- The 269 for round three ties for the sixth-best, 18-hole total in school history.
- The -17 for round three ties for the seventh-best, 18-hole score in school history.
- The 819 for the tournament ties for the best 54-hole total in school history.
- The -33 for the tournament ranks third for the best 54-hole score in school history.
#10 Texas Tech had the best score of the day, a 17-under 267, and moved up one spot to win the team title with as score of -45 (807). Top-ranked Auburn was second at -39 (813), followed by #6 Texas at -34 (818) and the Razorbacks at -33 (818). The stacked field also included #30 Florida State at -30, #32 Texas A&M at -25, #14 Oklahoma at -23, #17 North Carolina at -19, #23 Duke at -17, #13 Pepperdine at -16, #29 Wake Forest at -16, #24 Southern Cal at -14 and #8 Arizona State at -12.
Gomez opened the day in a tie for 10th and climbed to his third-place finish (67-69-64=200 / -13) thanks to his 64. Ranked 68th in the NCAA, Gomez beat 37 of the top 150 players in the nation, including six of the nation’s top 10. He opened his round on the par-5, 5th and promptly birdied the hole. Overall, he would birdie 8 of his first 14 holes, including birdies on holes 16, 17 and 18. He dropped a shot on the par-4, 1st hole and completed his record-setting round with a three pars. Gomez led the Razorbacks with 35 pars and 16 birdies over 54 holes.
Erich Fortlage turned in a final-round 68 and tied for 13th (65-71-68=204 / -9). It was his tea-best sixth top-15 finish of the season and he leads the team with 20 of his 24 rounds at par or better.
Niilo Maki-Petaja cared three 70s to finish tied for 34th (-3 / 210). Thomas Curry bounced back from a 2-over 73 in round two to shoot a 4-under 67 in round three. He had seven birdies for the round, with three bogeys, and tied for 34th overall (-3).
John Daly II rounded out the Razorback contingent. He tied for 55th with a 1-over 214 (68-70-76).
The Razorbacks will close the regular season at the Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye April 13-14 before heading to the SEC Championships (April 22-26).
VALSPAR COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Host: Houston
Floridian National Golf Club
Palm City, Fla.
Par: 71 • 7,088 yards
Format: 5 count 4 ||36 holes Monday / 18 Holes Tuesday
FINAL RESULTS:
1 #10 Texas Tech 273-267-267=807 / -45
2 #1 Auburn 264-274-275=813 / -39
3 #6 Texas 268-280-270=818 / -34
4 #7 Arkansas 270-280-269=819 / -33
5 #30 Florida State 269-280-273=822 / -30
6 #32 Texas A&M 277-279-271=827 / -25
7 #14 Oklahoma 274-282-273=829 / -23
8 #17 North Carolina 282-280-271=833 / -19
T9 Houston 271-282-282=835 / -17
T9 #23 Duke 280-274-281=835 / -17
T11 #13 Pepperdine 279-281-276=836 / -16
T11 #29 Wake Forest 286-274-276=836 / -16
13 #24 Southern Cal 277-281-280=838 / -14
14 #8 Arizona State 278-283-279=840 / -12
15 Rice 282-291-289=862 / +10
16 Augusta 286-294-285=865 / +13
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