Arkansas Men’s Golf to Defend Its SEC Title
FAYETTEVILLE – The 22nd-ranked Arkansas men’s golf program will defend its SEC Championship this week at St. Simons Island, Ga., on the Sea Island Golf Club – Seaside Course. The Razorbacks will begin play at 9:20 am (CT) on Wednesday.
The 2021 SEC Championship will have three days of stroke play (April 21-23). After 54 holes, the top eight teams will advance to match play with the quarterfinals and semifinals set for Saturday (April 24) and the championship is set for Sunday (April 25). The championship match will be televised live on SEC Network starting at 6:30 am (CT).
SEC Network Plus will also have digital coverage of the semifinal matches on Saturday, April 24.
The Razorbacks won the last SEC Championship played (2019) as last year’s championship was canceled due to COVID-19. Arkansas was seventh after stroke play but caught fire in match play to defeat #2 seed Vanderbilt, #3 seed Texas A&M and top-seed Auburn to win the title. Julian Perico went 3-0 for the Hogs while Luis Garza, William Buhl and Tyson Reeder won two matches.
Arkansas will take six players as the league will allow for a substitution after each round and during match play.
Perico – ranked 34th nationally and eighth in the SEC – leads the Razorback contingent. After setting a school record for season scoring average last season (70.38), the junior has a stroke average of 70.75 this season, which currently ranks fourth. His three-year career scoring average of 71.01 currently stands atop the Arkansas all-time list. Perico has one win to his credit this season – claiming the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate versus a field comprised of SEC teams – and placed among the top 20 in five of the team’s eight events.
Reeder had a strong spring with a win oat the Tiger Invitational followed by a third-place finish at the Old Waverly Collegiate – both events featuring a strong SEC presence. Reeder is 3-1 all-time in SEC match play.
Manuel Lozada is coming off his best outing of the season. He finished sixth at the Collegiate Invitational – his first career top 10 finish – and was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week. Lozada has played in all eight events with the Razorbacks – four as an individual. In his four events playing with the team, he has three top 20 finishes, including two in the fall versus all SEC competition.
Buhl finished third at the 2018 SEC Championship and was named honorable mention All-American in 2020. However, Buhl missed the fall campaign after having back surgery. Segundo Oliva Pinto won the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association championship as a freshman while at UNC Wilmington. Overall, Oliva Pinto has three collegiate wins and a runner-up.
Mason Overstreet has two top 16 finishes at the SEC Championship to his credit and his career scoring average of 72.03 currently ranks third-best in Razorback history.
2021 SEC Men’s Golf Championship
Stroke Play: April 21-23 (Wed.-Fri.)
Match Play: April 24 (quarterfinal and semifinals)
Match Play: April 25 (final – 6:30 am (CT) on SEC Network)
Location: St. Simons Island, Ga. – Sea Island Golf Club – Seaside Course
Par: 70
Yards: 7,005
Field:
#37 Alabama – #22 Arkansas – #14 Auburn – #17 Florida – #10 Georgia – Kentucky – #23 LSU – #49 Missouri
#44 Mississippi State – #40 Ole Miss – #48 South Carolina – #19 Tennessee – #11 Texas A&M – #15 Vanderbilt
Arkansas Lineup:
#34 Julian Perico
#70 Tyson Reeder
Manuel Lozada
William Buhl
Segundo Oliva Pinto
#221 Mason Overstreet (alternate)
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.
