Men’s golf comes up short at final hole of C-USA Championships
North Texas junior golfer Thomas Rosenmueller hits the ball in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Sept. 26. Sara Carpenter
Sitting four shots back in fifth place with just three holes remaining in the Conference USA Championships, the odds of winning the conference grew more unlikely by the second Monday afternoon.
However, junior Thomas Rosenmuller birdied then eagled his final two holes while junior Ian Snyman birdied his final hole leading the team back into competition. The resilience they showed throughout the season manifested itself in the dying moments of their season. This sat the Mean Green comfortably four shots ahead of fifth place Rice, leaving them with better odds to face on Tuesday afternoon.
Rice’s final three holes Tuesday determined whether North Texas moved on in the tournament. And, despite the Mean Green’s push, Rice’s final score of +17 finished one below the Mean Green, eliminating North Texas.
The Mean Green finished fifth in the tournament and failed to continue to compete in match play for the first time in Mean Green men’s golf history.
“We were the only team in the conference who had made match play every year, and that streak was broken today which was pretty unfortunate,” head coach Brad Stracke said.
They were the only team that had completed this feat in Conference USA, and this season was the first time they failed to do so since joining C-USA back in 2014.
Stracke described Rice’s final push and the play which decided his team’s fate.
“We were looking pretty good and there was only one group left,” Stracke said. “It was the toughest hole on the golf course, and the Rice guy was 10 feet away from the hole and hits it for birdie. They needed two pars on that hole to tie us, and I thought we were looking pretty good considering it was the hardest hole on the course. Rice pulled it off, and you have to give it to them shooting one under on the 18th hole.”
The University of Alabama at Birmingham won the tournament with a total score of 872, five shots better than second place Middle Tennessee State.
Snyman led the Mean Green with a second place individual finish in the tournament with a score of 214 from a 76-67-71 performance over the three rounds, finishing second by three shots and just missing the tournament championship.
He now awaits an individual bid into the NCAA regional, which is a likely scenario after finishing 2nd in the tournament.
His teammate junior Thomas Rosenmueller finished tied for 11th at three over par and freshman Vitek Novak tied for 26th at 9 over par.
“I had a rough start to the tournament and got it going in the second round,” Snyman said. “The last round I could have shaved a few shots which would’ve made a difference. I’m a little disappointed with my final days individually. There were some positives, I’m disappointed. However, there’s always room for improvement.”
Featured image: North Texas junior golfer Thomas Rosenmueller hits the ball in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Sept. 26. Sara Carpenter
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