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Three Aggies log top-20 finishes in Tucson.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Michael Navarrette
Photo: Courtesy
TUCSON, Ariz. – NM State concluded its two-day stay in Arizona as they wrapped up competition at the N.I.T. hosted by the University of Arizona. Following an up and down second round, NM State kicked it in to high gear to finish third on the team leaderboard following a final-round score of 15-under at Omni Tucson National.
With a combined score of 273, NM State turned in the third-lowest team score of the third round at the event which featured six Power programs and three ranked teams among the 15-team field. In the 54-hole event, the Aggies (3rd, -30) finished only behind No. 36 BYU (1st, -50) and No. 11 Arizona (2nd, -36) while besting programs which included Iowa State (5th, -24), rival New Mexico (9th, -14), No. 43 Southern California (10th, -11) and Missouri (13th, +7).
Individually, the Aggies’ top finisher was true freshman Mateo Payán who shot a 4-under 68 in the final round to finish 9-under for the week and in a tie for eighth place on the individual leaderboard. On Wednesday, Payán recorded five birdies, including three among his final eight holes.
Javier Delgadillo also completed a solid showing in Arizona as he turned in a 70 (-2) in the final round to secure a tie for 13th place on the individual leaderboard. Delgadillo has now logged top-15 finishes in all four events the Aggies have played thus far.
Meanwhile, Alexandre Bauduin also shot a 68 to advance nine spots up the leader board as he moved into a tie for 19th. This would be Bauduin’s second 68 of the week after also shooting 4-under in the opening round on Monday morning.
Tuesday also saw Aidan Thomas turn in his best performance of the week as he posted a 67 (-5) to leap 17 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for 32nd.
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AGGIE RESULTS
3. NM State – 273-288-273-834 (-30)
T8. Mateo Payán – 70-69-68-207 (
T13. Javier Delgadillo – 66-72-70-208 (
T19. Alexandre Bauduin – 68-74-68-210 (
T32. Aidan Thomas – 72-74-67-213 (
T46. Ethan Klose – 69-73-75-217 (
NOTEWORTHY
- In his collegiate debut season, Mateo Payán has already submitted five rounds in the 60s, including two this week at Omni Tucson National.
- NM State finished a combined 14-under on the par 4s this week which ranked second among the field – coming just one stroke behind only team champion BYU who shot 15-under. In fact, the Aggies were one of just two teams to shot 5-under or better on the par 4s this week.
- NM State also posted four eagles this week which ranked second to only BYU’s five. This came from the efforts of Bauduin and Delgadillo who each posted two eagles during the 54-hole tournament.
- This marks NM State’s second-best finish of the season and signifies the third time this season that three Aggies turned in top-25 finishes.
UP NEXT
In just two weeks, the Aggies will travel to Laredo, Texas, where they will compete in the Border Olympics hosted by the University of Houston at Laredo Country Club. The event will begin on Monday, Feb. 17, with the final round taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
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