The No. 13th-ranked Wildcats golf team played exceptionally well Monday and Tuesday in the Charles Coody West Texas Intercollegiate golf tournament.
The ‘Cats finished the first day with a 15-stroke lead over second place St. Mary’s University and a 16-stroke lead over third place and rival McMurry University.
The team shot so well in fact that it gave them their own spot in the ACU record books, recording one of ACU’s lowest shot rounds in school history.
Part of the team’s record setting day was from a stellar performance by senior Alex Carpenter.
Carpenter led the tournament with a score of 7-under-par after day one and was looking to capture his 19th career win.
After birdying his final four holes, Carpenter looked stronger than ever to close out the tournament.
The entire Wildcat team shot well at the tournament. Senior Morgan Johnson placed second after the first day with a 4-under-par and sophomore Corbin Renner was in a three way tie with two McMurry players for sole possession of third with a score of 3-under-par. Senior Trey Sullivan also shot well on the day, finishing at par.
The Wildcats have not won the tournament since 2006, but were looking to reverse that trend.
On Tuesday, the ‘Cats continued their hot start. The team shot 5-under-par 279 to end the tournament, good enough to claim both the individual and team championships.
ACU’s final two-round total was 549, a 30-shot victory over St. Mary’s, who shot 285-294-579. The heat did not seem to slow down the team as they remained in the lead the entire tournament.
The Wildcats have only won this tournament twice since 2002. Carpenter set the pace for the ‘Cats. He shot a round of 64 on Monday and 69 on Tuesday to finish 9-under-par 133 and won the individual title for the second straight year.
Renner finished second overall. He shot rounds of 68-69 to end at 5-under-par 137, four strokes behind Carpenter.
Johnson finished third overall with a first round of 67 and a second round of 71 totaling 138 or 4-under-par. Junior Trey Sullivan also finished under par. He shot rounds of 71 and 70 to get him to 1-under-par 141 and sixth overall.
Senior Adam Carpenter was tied for 37th after the tournament. He shot 76-73 (149).
The team’s next tournament will be the Territory Classic in Duncan, Oklahoma on September 24.
