Razorbacks Finish 10th at SEC Championship
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Julian Perico saved his best for last, shooting a 4-under-par 66 in his final loop at the SEC Championships to climb 21 spots into a tie for sixth, but the #36 Razorbacks slipped two spots to finish 10th with a 54-hole score of 843 (+3).
Arkansas missed the cut to advance to match play by two spots and two strokes. However, the Razorbacks’ 54-hole total of 843 is the program’s third-best score at the Championship. Also,
- Arkansas led the field by playing the par 5’s at 10-under (4.67 avg.).
- Arkansas’ 192 pars tied for second-best in the field.
- Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira led the field with 43 pars.
#13 Tennessee lapped the field with an 8-under 272 to win the stroke portion with a score of 826 (-14). Tennessee also won medalist honors as Caleb Surratt was crowned individual champion with rounds of 64-68-64 for a 14-under total of 196 to win by six strokes.
Joining Tennessee in match play I #15 Texas A&M (824 / -13), #9 Florida (831 / -9), #17 Alabama (832/-8), #1 Vanderbilt (832 / -8), #21 Ole Miss (839 / -1), #43 Missouri (840 / E) and #18 Mississippi State (841 / +1).
Perico, who also shot 66 in 2019 in his first-ever round at the SEC’s, tied for sixth to record his second top-10 finish at the Championship, tying for eighth as a freshman. He was 4-under for the day and 4-under for the Championship posting rounds of 68-72-66 for a 54-hole score of 206. His total of 206 ties for third-best by a Razorback at the Championship and his score of 4-under in relation to par ties for fifth-best by a Razorback at the Championship. Perico was 2-under at the turn with birdies on holes 5 and 7. He opened this inward nine with a birdie and got to 5-under with birdies on holes 14 and 15. He dropped a shot on his final hole to post his 4-under 66.
Wil Gibson and Segundo Oliva Pinto tied for 19th, finishing with an even-par total of 210. Gibson, who led Arkansas at last year’s Championship, had his first top-20 finish at the SEC’s and Oliva Pinto, the 2021 SEC Champion, had his second SEC top-20 finish. Gibson finished with rounds of 68-69-73 and Oliva Pinto had rounds of 70-69-71.
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira placed 56th (72-72-73=217) and Manuel Lozada was 57th (72-73-74=219).
Arkansas will learn its postseason fate on May 3.
2023 SEC Championship
Stroke Play: April 19-21
Sea Island Golf Club – Seaside Course || St. Simons Island, Ga.
7,005 yards || Par 70
TEAM SCORES:
1 #13 Tennessee 278-276-272=826 / -14
2 #15 Texas A&M 269-279-279=827 / -13
3 #9 Florida 277-273-281=831 / -9
T4 #17 Alabama 270-278-284=832 / -8
T4 #1 Vanderbilt 276-278-278=832 / -8
6 #21 Ole Miss 275-286-278=839 / -1
7 #43 Missouri 281-277/282=840 / E
8 #18 Mississippi State 275-280-286=841 / +1
9 #31 Georgia 280-282-280=842 / +2
10 #36 Arkansas 278-282-283=843 / +3
11 #8 Auburn 271-291-283=845 / +5
12 #41 LSU 282-284-281=847 / +7
13 Kentucky 290-281283=854 / +14
14 South Carolina 289-298-301=888 / +48
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.
