TUCSON, Az. – ULM sophomore
Otto Van Buynder earned the seventh Top-10 finish of his collegiate career on Wednesday afternoon when he concluded the Arizona Intercollegiate in a three-way tie for seventh with a 2-over-par 215 (71-74-70). The Warhawks closed out their first tournament of spring play 10th in the team standings at Sewailo Golf Club.
Van Buynder, who was among the Top-10 on the leaderboard at the conclusion of every round, tied his lowest three-round score of the season (215) since the fall finale on Oct. 20 at the Little Rock Invitational. Van Buynder fired the lowest third round score of any Warhawk, 70, by virtue of four birdies and 11 pars. The Centurion, South Africa, native tallied the seventh-most birdies (14) over the three-day event. His first birdie of the day, which came on the 15th green, was followed by birdies on the second, eighth and ninth holes.
Senior
Guillaume Fanonnel narrowly missed a Top-30 finish for ULM, finishing in a three-way tie for 31st. Fanonnel, who finished 8-over-par with a 221 (78-69-74), overcame a difficult front nine of play to finish with two birdies and 11 pars. His birdies came at the second and ninth greens.
The combination of Van Buynder and Fanonnel helped ULM claim its eighth straight Top-10 team finish, a streak which began with a ninth-place outing at The All-American Tournament on February 16-18, 2020. The Warhawks wrapped up the Arizona Intercollegiate with a 37-over-par score of 889 (305-291-293), equaling the marks of Oregon State and the University of Denver. Arizona took the team crown with a 2-under-par 850 (284-275-291), edging out Wake Forest (856, +4) and New Mexico (868, +16).
The Wildcats were paced by individual winner Brad Reeves, who finished with a 4-under-par 209 (68-69-72), marking one of four Arizona players in the Top-20. Reeves topped the leaderboard over Michael Brennan (Wake Forest) and Lachlan Barker (Iowa State), who tied for second with a 2-under-par score of 211.
Andoni Etchenique posted the third-best score for ULM in the event, closing at 17-over-par with a 230 (76-79-75), which resulted in a three-way tie for 78th. His third round ended with a pair of birdies, which came on the third and 14th holes, as well as 10 pars. Teammate
Mikkel Schmitt put the finishing touches on his first collegiate tournament by placing himself in a six-way tie for 82nd. Schmitt tied Fanonnel for the second-lowest score by a Warhawk in the final round (74), finishing 19-over-par with a 232 (80-76-74), capped off the third round with two birdies and 11 pars.
Schmitt's classmate,
Melan Dhaubhadel, rounded out the ULM scorecard with a 23-over-par score of 236. While his third-round score didn't include a birdie, Dhaubhadel managed 13 pars, including seven on the back nine.
The Warhawks return to the links on Sunday, February 14th when they compete in the All-American Tournament, hosted by the University of Houston.
Final Results—Arizona Intercollegiate (ULM Only)
