EL DORADO, Ark. – Little Rock earned the first three points of the match to take Wednesday's Sun Belt Conference Championship Match Play semifinal over ULM, 3-1-1, Wednesday at Mystic Creek Golf Club.
"We had a nice run this year," ULM Director of Golf
Tim Baldwin said. "Our spring wasn't as productive as I would have liked but I am happy to reach match play again this year. Mystic Creek was an outstanding venue this year. It clearly separated the best teams in the conference. Congrats to Little Rock. They made clutch shots and putts when they counted the most."
Little Rock secured the first point of the semifinal when Anton Albers defeated ULM's
Guillaume Fanonnel 3&2. After opening on the 10th hole, Fanonnel knocked down a par on the 11th to go 1-up while Albers bogeyed. Fanonnel increased his lead to 2-up on the 13th hole by draining another par. The two players traded points on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes to enter the turn with Fanonnel 1-up.
Albers owned the back nine for Little Rock. After Fanonnel birdied the first hole, Albers won five of the next six holes to win the match, 3&2. Albers connected on four birdies in the final six holes.
Little Rock's Nicolas Horder took a 3&2 win over ULM's
Otto Van Buynder to put the Trojans up 2-0. Horder picked up a wire-to-wire win, leading from the 10th hole all the way through, sealing the match with a par on the seventh hole. After falling behind by two, Van Buynder pulled back within one with a par on the 15th. Horder closed with a par and a birdie on the 17th and 18th to go 3-up at the turn.
Van Buynder's par at the second hole cut the gap to two, but Horder pulled back away with a par and birdie over the next two holes to go 4-up. Van Buynder's birdie on the fifth cut the deficit to three, but the pair matched shots the rest of the way as Horder claimed the 3&2 win.
The Trojans sealed the match when Little Rock's Logan Pate topped ULM's
Andoni Etchenique 2&1. Etchenique started with a birdie on the 10th hole to go 1-up. Etchenique also birdied the 11th, but Pate eagled, which sparked a three-hole run to take the lead, 2-up. Pate hit a birdie at the 15th to extend the lead to 3-up. Etchenique started to turn the match with a par on the 16th and a birdie on the 18th to cut the gap back to one at the turn.
Etchenique's par on the third hole tied the match, but Pate regained the lead on the sixth hole. Pate sealed his point and the match for Little Rock with a par on the eighth hole to win, 2&1.
Melan Dhaubhadel earned ULM's only point as he defeated Little Rock's Magnus Lomholt, 2&3. Dhaubhadel birdied the 11th and 12th holes to go 2-up early. Lomholt answered with a birdie and par on the 13th and 14th to tie the match back up. Dhaubhadel responded with a par and bogey to take the 15th and 16th holes to go back 2-up. Lomholt's par on 17 reduced the deficit to one at the turn.
Lomholt's par on the third hole tied the match back up, but Dhaubhadel knocked down a par and a birdie on the next two holes to resume a 2-up advantage to go on to the 2&3 victory.
ULM's
Mikkel Schmitt and Little Rock's Marcel Rauch played to a tie through 15 holes. Schmitt birdied the 11th hole to take the lead, but Rauch birdied the 12th hole to tie the match. Rauch birdied again on the 14th to take the lead, but Schmitt answered back with a par on the 15th to knot the match again. Schmitt birdied the 18th hole to lead 1-up at the turn.
Schmitt maintained a 1-up lead until the seventh hole, when Rauch's bogey was good enough to tie the match before it was called due to Little Rock clinching the team victory.
The loss marks the end of Fanonnel's and Etchenique's decorated careers at ULM. Fanonnel had 12 Top-10 finishes in his career, including three consecutive tournament victories in the fall of 2020. Etchenique had five Top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate to open the 2020-21 season.
"Andoni and G made huge contributions to the program during their careers," Baldwin said. "I wish them the best as they pursue careers in professional golf."
For the latest on ULM men's golf, visit ULMWarhawks.com.
