SAN FRANCISCO — The New Mexico men’s golf team wrapped up their performance at the USF Intercollegiate with a strong showing in the final round at TPC Harding Park. Shooting 5-under over the last 18 holes, the Lobos secured a fourth-place finish, ending the event at 15-under.
Loyola Marymount emerged as the tournament victors, boasting a 38-under total for the 54 holes. Host San Francisco secured second place at 25-under, followed by UC Davis at 17-under. The Lobos, finishing at 15-under, secured fourth place among the 13-team field.
Head coach Jake Harrington praised his team’s determination, stating, “I am really proud of the way the guys battled coming down the stretch today. We had struggled on the back nine in the previous two rounds, so to close out the tournament by shooting 7-under on the back nine today showed a lot of grit.”
Matthew Watkins continued to shine, achieving his second consecutive top-five finish of the season. His final round score of 69 landed him at T-5th, finishing the event at 8-under. Albert Boneta also claimed a top-10 finish, carding a 70 in the final round to secure T-10th at 6-under for the week. Carson Herron and Oliver Cage both contributed with final-round even par scores of 72. Bastien Amat rounded out the lineup with a final round score of 74.
Harrington further commended Watkins, saying, “Watkins continues to impress me with his strong play and another top-five finish. Everything he does right now makes the game look easy.”
The Lobos will be back in action next week, hosting the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate at the UNM Championship Course. This tournament, taking place on Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 25-26), is the Lobos’ only home event of the season, and admission is free.
Lobos Fall Short in Rivalry Game, Losing 27-17 to NMSU
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a game filled with missed opportunities, the New Mexico Lobos came up short, falling to rivals New Mexico State with a final score of 27-17. As the Lobos now prepare for a two-game road trip, including a cross-country journey to face UMass next Saturday at 1:30 pm Mountain Time (3:30 pm Eastern Time), they reflect on a game that could have swung in their favor.
Despite feeling that they should have been leading, the Lobos trailed 17-10 at halftime. On their opening drive, they advanced all the way to the Aggie three-yard line. However, a first-down sack pushed them back to the 12-yard line, resulting in a 25-yard Luke Drzewiecki field goal. On the following drive, the Lobos once again moved effortlessly down the field. Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 31-yard reception took them to the Aggie 19-yard line, but a fumble by Sherod White dashed their hopes of an early 10-0 lead.
NMSU capitalized on the turnover, embarking on an 88-yard, 10-play drive culminating in a Star Thomas 2-yard run. UNM responded swiftly as Croskey-Merritt scored, marking his fifth touchdown of the season, shortly after Justin Holaday’s push toward the end zone, which was controversially ruled short. NMSU later tied the game with an Ethan Albertson field goal and grabbed the lead with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Diego Pavia to Jonathan Brady in the final minute of the first half, following the only three-and-out series by UNM.
In the second half, Albertson added a 47-yard field goal for NMSU. UNM fought back with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Hopkins to Andrew Erickson early in the fourth quarter, reducing the deficit to 20-17. However, NMSU responded immediately as Pavia connected with Brady on a 75-yard touchdown pass, extending their lead to 27-17.
Despite the Lobos’ valiant efforts to claw back into the game, their hopes were dashed when a field goal attempt by Drzewiecki hit the left upright, leaving them in need of two scores. The Lobos outgained New Mexico State 401-397 and secured 26 first downs to NMSU’s 15. Nevertheless, the game’s defining moments were the two long touchdowns, accounting for 106 yards on two plays that ultimately sealed the Lobos’ fate.