The Wyoming Men’s Golf team finished fourth at the Battle of the Tetons in Victor, Idaho.
“I saw a lot of good things out there,” said Head Coach Joe Jensen. “It seemed like we just got mentally tired on the third round.
As a team, Wyoming finished with a score of 874 (10-over). The Cowboys were led by junior Kamrin Allen, who finished tied for ninth with a score of 217 (1-over).
Allen opened with a 70 (2-under), but could not get under par in his final two rounds with scores of 73 (1-under) and 74 (2-over). He was a combined 6-under on the par-5s, carding one eagle. He also scored nine birdies throughout the tournament.
While Allen was the low scorer on the team, he was not the low Cowboy. That distinction went to freshman Quintin Pope, who finished with a three round score of 214 (2-over). Pope’s score was good enough for a sixth place finish. However, as he played as an individual, so he did not factor into the team score.
Pope was solid all tournament, carding 11 birdies and one eagle while shooting matching rounds of 71 (1-under) on his first two rounds and closing with a 72 (even). Pope led the field in par-5 scoring with a combined score of 8-under.
“He is a big athletic kid and he hits it a long way,” Jensen said.
Wyoming as a team really struggled on Tuesday: the last day of the tournament, the Cowboys final round score was 299 (11-over). However, even the top three finishers on the team all shot their worst round on Tuesday. The course was played the hardest on Tuesday, with a scoring average of 74.55.
“The course did play more difficult on the third day,” Jensen said. “We have an aggressive long team. I mean, this group just bombs the ball. However, we had too many missed wedges and got mentally sloppy in the third round.”
Following Allen on the team, and placing in a tie for 13th with a score of 220 (4-over), was sophomore Ryan Wallen, who shot an opening round 68 (4-under) but then struggled the next two rounds. He shot a 75 (3-over) and 77 (5-over) respectively. Wallen tied for second in par-3 scoring at 1-under.
After Wallen, freshman Drew McCullough tied for 18th, with a score of 221 (5-over). Like his teammate, Wallen, McCullough had a very strong first round of 70 (2-under), but struggled in his closing two rounds of 73 (1-over) and 78 (6-over). McCullough did card an eagle in the tournament.
Coming in fourth on the team was Glenn Workman who shot a 222 (6-over) which was good enough for a tie for 20th. Workman showed consistency by shooting a 74 (2-over), 75 (3-over) and a final round 73 (1-over). Workman tied for third n the tournament carding 11 birdies.
Finally, placing in a tie for 28th and firing a 228 (12-over) was Arron Lickteig. He rebounded from a very rough opening round of 81 (9-over) by shooting closing rounds of 72 (even) and 75 (3-over).
Cameron Lindell also shot a 228 (12-over) but, like Pope, he played as an individual and did not factor into the team’s score. Lindell progressively got better with each round, as he shot rounds of 78 (6-over), 76 (4-over) and 74 (2-over). Lindell like his teammate Wallen, tied for second in par-3 scoring at 1-under.
Capturing the tournament title decisively was the team of Utah State, who shot a combined 857 (7-under). The score was seven strokes ahead of the second place team of Utah Valley 864 (even). Southern Utah placed third with a score of 865 (1-over).
Earning the individual crown was Southern Utah’s freshman Fidel Concepcion who fired a 209 (7-under). Right behind him was sophomore Tanner Jenson of Utah State, who shot a 210 (6-under). Coming in third and shooting a 211 (5-under) was Westminster College’s (UT) sophomore Nick Smart.
Cowboy golf will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, September 6th as a part of the USAF Gene Miranda Invitational.
“This course will be a test,” said Jensen. “Pars are good out there. The greens are very undulated and slick. This course takes patience.”
