University Star

The first two rounds of the Rice Intercollegiate propelled the Texas State men’s golf team to a top-five finish Tuesday in Houston.

The Bobcats finished in a tie for fifth place with host school Rice, despite a mediocre third-round score because of windy conditions.

Coach Shane Howell thought the team performed well Monday but failed to produce the same results the following day.

“We played really good the first two rounds and didn’t play well today (Tuesday),” Howell said. “Overall for the week, it was mixed results.”

Howell said the wind caused a problem in his team’s ability to equal Monday’s performance.

“We had different conditions today than yesterday that were more difficult, and I don’t think we handled them as well as we should have,” Howell said.

Alastair Jones, economics junior, led the Bobcats in Houston, tying for ninth place in the 81-member field.

The Bobcats sat in fourth place with a total score of 571 at the end of the first day of competition. The top five schools were within 10 strokes of each other after the first two rounds.

Jones led the Bobcats in the first day, firing a 2-under-par 69 for the first round and a 1-under-par 71 in the second.

Jones shot a 3-over-par 75 on day two, which secured him a spot in the top 10 finishers.

Jones said he learned from the errors made and hopes to correct them before Texas State’s next tournament.

“I played OK yesterday,” Jones said. “I made quite a few birdies. Today was very disappointing, but I got a lot of positives out of it. I made a couple of mistakes, but next time I’ll try to make fewer.”

Three other Bobcats supported Jones with top-20 day one finishes to help the Bobcats contend for the tournament title.

Juan Salcedo, exercise and sports science junior, came in second for the Bobcats with scores of 71, 72 and 77 to finish tied for 32nd.

Salcedo thought his play Tuesday was lacking from the performance on the first day.

“I played good yesterday,” Salcedo said. “Today, I had a couple mistakes and couldn’t get it done.”

Tom Moore, management senior, led the Bobcats during the final round with a 2-under-par 69. In spite of the third round, Moore’s scores of 79 and 78 in the first two could not boost him to a higher overall finish.

Stuart Smallwood, undecided freshman, and Carson Gibson, business senior, completed the Bobcat team. Smallwood and Gibson came in third and fourth for the Bobcats respectively, tying for 41st overall.

The Bobcats finished the tournament with a total score of 869, 16 strokes away from first place. 

New Mexico State took the team title backed by Gaston De La Torre’s first-place finish, shooting nine-under-par.

The Bobcats return to competition March 7 in Lafayette, La. at the Louisiana Classic.