Arkansas Cruises To 17-Shot Win In Athens
ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 18 Arkansas men’s golf team posted a wire-to-wire victory on Monday at the Southern Intercollegiate, recording six birdies in the first four holes of the morning round and cruising to a 17-shot win at Athens Country Club.
The victory marks the second win of the year after Arkansas captured a 10-shot victory in the fall at the Gopher Invitational. Head coach Brad McMakin has led the Razorbacks to multiple wins in a season for the second straight year and the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
Not only did Arkansas capture the team title, but Luis Garza and Alvaro Ortiz tied atop the individual leaderboard to earn co-medalist honors at 3-under. The Razorbacks have produced the individual winner in two of the last three years in Athens, as Nicolas Echavarria captured a win back in 2016 and now Garza and Ortiz find themselves holding the trophy 2018.
“This was a great win for our guys,” said head coach Brad McMakin. “We’ve been playing some great golf lately and today we finally put it all together for 36 holes. Congratulations to Luis and Alvaro for continuing to play really well and earning medalist honors.”
Arkansas has dominated the Southern Intercollegiate during the last three years, finishing first, second and fourth and posting an astonishing head-to-head record of 40-4 along the way. The Razorbacks recorded rounds of 285-282 – 567 (-9) to clear the field by 17 shots.
Ortiz becomes the 10th player in program history to earn multiple individual titles after winning the Aggie Invitational during his sophomore season.
The Razorbacks had four players finish inside the top 10 and all five individuals placed in the top 20 to secure the team victory. Tyson Reeder had his best finish of the year at even par to finish T-6th overall, while Mason Overstreet’s 3-under 69 in the morning round led him to a T-10th finish at 1-over. William Buhl rounded out the team at T-20th overall.
Arkansas returns to action next Sunday, March 18, traveling to Palm City, Florida, to compete in the Valspar Collegiate. The three-day event is held at Floridian National Golf Club.
For more information on Arkansas men’s golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.
Razorback Lineup Final Results
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| T1. | Alvaro Ortiz | 74-67 – 141 (-3) |
| T1. | Luis Garza | 68-73 – 141 (-3) |
| T6. | Tyson Reeder | 74-70 – 144 (E) |
| T10. | Mason Overstreet | 69-76 – 145 (+1) |
| T16. | William Buhl | 75-72 – 147 (+3) |
Southern Intercollegiate Final Team Results
| Place | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | No. 18 Arkansas | 285-282 – 567 (-9) |
| T2. | Kennesaw State | 291-293 – 584 (+8) |
| T2. | Georgia | 298-286 – 584 (+8) |
| 4. | Lipscomb | 295-294 – 589 (+13) |
| 5. | No. 19 Florida State | 296-296 – 592 (+16) |
| 6. | Georgia (B) | 298-298 – 596 (+20) |
| T7. | Iowa | 300-302 – 602 (+26) |
| T7. | Chattanooga | 304-298 – 602 (+26) |
| 9. | Francis Marion | 306-301 – 607 (+31) |
| 10. | Gardner-Webb | 306-303 – 609 (+33) |
| 11. | Wofford College | 303-307 – 610 (+34) |
| 12. | USC Upstate | 311-302 – 613 (+37) |
| 13. | Western Carolina | 301-313 – 614 (+38) |
| 14. | High Point | 312-303 – 615 (+39) |
| 15. | Charleston Southern | 321-303 – 624 (+48) |
| T16. | Nicholls State | 319-321 – 640 (+64) |
| T16. | Savannah State | 320-320 – 640 (+64) |
| 18. | Youngstown State | 322-320 – 642 (+66) |
