Ortiz Takes Title as Hogs Finish Third in Texas

Results (PDF)

BRYAN, Texas – Fueled by a final round three-under 69 to send Alvaro Ortiz to his first collegiate victory, the No. 23 Arkansas men’s golf team moved up one spot and secured a third place finish at the Aggie Invitational Sunday afternoon at Traditions Club.

Ortiz saved his final birdie of the day for the 54th hole of the championship as the sophomore rolled in a birdie three on the 18th hole to finish tied atop the leaderboard with Oklahoma State’s Kristoffer Venture at four-under. Ortiz fired a three-under 69 on Sunday to tie the low round of the day and secure his first collegiate victory.

Ortiz joins Taylor Moore and Nicolas Echavarria as individual winners this year, as Arkansas and LSU are the only programs in the SEC to post three different individual champions during the spring season. The Razorbacks have three different winners in a season for the first time since 1993 when Jack O’Keefe, Bud Steele and David White all captured titles.

“This was another solid week for our team as we seem to play well here every year on a tough course,” head coach Brad McMakin said. “I’m very proud of Alvaro for getting his first win in a really good field. This was a great week of preparation as we turn our attention to the postseason.”

While Ortiz was busy racing up the leaderboard, he brought the team along for the ride, as Arkansas posted an even-par 288 in the final round to move up one spot and finish alone in third place at 11-over. No. 12 Oklahoma State captured the team title at even par, while No. 18 LSU followed in third at two-over following a seven-under 281 in the final round. North Texas (+12) finished in fourth place and No. 28 Baylor (+16) rounded out the top five.

Moore finished the tournament at 72-74-72 – 218 (+2), good for T-12th overall and his fifth consecutive top 25 finish. After a two-over on the front nine during the final round, the senior battled back and shot two-under on the back side to finish two-over for the championship.

Echavarria shot six-over during the final round and finished T-26th overall with rounds of 74-72-78 – 224 (+8). Kolton Crawford tied Ortiz for the low final round with a three-under 69, moving up 29 spots and finishing at 78-78-69 – 225 (+9), while Charles Kim rounded out the team with rounds of 79-74-78 – 231 (+15).

Arkansas returns to action April 15-17 at the 2016 SEC Championships in St. Simons Island, Georgia. The conference champion will be crowned at the par 70 Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.

Quick Hits
• Arkansas has finished in the top five of six events this year, including four in the spring.
• Led by a 61-21-2 spring record, Arkansas has a head-to-head mark of 81-45-4 for the year.
• Alvaro Ortiz captured his first collegiate title at four-under par with final round three-under 69.
• Arkansas led the field with 48 birdies during the 54-hole event.
• The Razorbacks finished second in the field in par four scoring at 17-over.
• Arkansas and LSU are the only SEC programs with three different individual winners during the spring season.
• Ortiz was the only player in the field to finish in the top five in par four and par five scoring.

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Aggie Invitational Results (Final)

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