COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. – Guillaume Fanonnel posted a 4-under-par 68 to tie for the individual championship, while Andoni Etchenique and Otto Van Buynder also finished in the Top 10 to help push the ULM men's golf team to the co-championship with tournament-host Middle Tennessee Tuesday at the Intercollegiate at The Grove.
The team title is ULM's first since the Border Olympics on Feb. 24-25 in Laredo, Texas. It marks the 10th team championship at ULM for Director of Golf Tim Baldwin.
"I'm very happy for the team with this co-championship," Fanonnel said. "Let's hope that this is just the beginning."
The Warhawks shot a 3-under-par 573 (286-287) as a team. Fanonnel (68), Van Buynder (71), Cody Winkler (74) and Keegan McLachlan (74) made up the team's score in the second round.
For Fanonnel, it is his second championship in as many tournaments after winning the Graeme McDowell Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, two weeks ago.
"Winning back-to-back was pretty unexpected," Fanonnel said. "A few weeks ago, I was still looking for my first collegiate win, and here I am now with two. It gives me a lot of confidence about what I am capable of, especially that I haven't showed my best golf yet."
Fanonnel opened with a bogey, his only misstep of the day, but recovered with five birdies and 12 pars to shoot up the leaderboard and tie Coastal Carolina's Tyler Gray and Mercer's Jonathan Parker for the championship. The senior from Lyon, France, finished the tournament at 4-under-par 140 (72-68). He posted birdies on the par-5 seventh, par-4 eighth, par-5 11th, par-4 16th and par-5 18th holes. He was second in the field in par-5 scoring average at 4.38, shooting 5-under-par on par-5s.
Etchenique and Van Buynder also finished in the Top 10, tying for ninth place at 1-under-par 143.
Van Buynder was steady throughout the tournament. After shooting even par in Monday's first round, the sophomore went 1-under-par 71 on Tuesday to finish at 1-under-par 143 (72-71). He tallied three birdies on the round, posting red numbers on the par-4 sixth, the par-4 ninth and the par-5 11th. He also collected 13 pars for the round. It is his first Top-10 finish of the fall season.
Etchenique finished his third Top-10 performance of the fall with a 3-over-par 75 to finish at 1-under-par 143 (68-75). The senior had two birdies, on the par-5 second and par-4 eighth, and 14 pars in the final round.
Winkler, a freshman, shot a second-round 2-over-par 74 to finish the tournament at 4-over-par 148 (74-74). He birdied the par-5 seventh hole on Tuesday and knocked down 14 pars.
McLachlan improved in Tuesday's second round with a 2-over-par 74 to finish the tournament at 6-over-par 150. He had an up-and-down round, which included five birdies. McLachlan went under par on the par-5 second, par-4 fourth, par-5 seventh, par-4 eighth and par-4 17th to go along with eight pars. Although his first-round score did not factor into the team's score on Monday, his second-round score factored into Tuesday's total to help tie Middle Tennessee.
Freshman Melan Dhaubhadel shot a 4-over-par 76 to finish at 8-over-par 152 (76-76). He picked up birdies on the par-4 sixth and par-3 15th holes and added 10 pars.
The Warhawks close the fall slate at the First Tee Intercollegiate in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Monday and Tuesday.
