Senior Corbin Renner once again led the Wildcats in his hometown tournament at Chenal Country Club. The Wildcats finished 14th at the University of Arkansas Â- Little Rock First Tee Classic on Tuesday.
Renner’s three round score of 218 was the lowest on the team and good enough to tie for 17th overall.
“It was a lot of fun to be able to play at home,” Renner said.
Renner was consistent throughout the tournament. He shot a 73 and 74 on Monday and closed the tournament on Tuesday with a 71.
He was followed closely by teammates, Dillon Vaughn and Clarke Hudgins. Vaughn, a junior from Joshua, ended the tournament with a 222 and in tie for 29th place. Hudgins, a freshmen from Amarillo, actually shot the lowest single round for any Wildcat with a 70 on Monday. He went on to finish at 224, tied for 37th overall.
Senior Kaden Walters and junior Brandon Wilkins ended every round in the 80s for high finishes. The result was a poor finish for the Wildcats who were second to last in the 15-team field.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a hard course,” head coach Tom Shaw said. “You had to hit it straight to give yourself a chance, and the greens were tricky too.”
The course felt like home to the Wildcats thanks to the hospitality of the Corbin Renner’s and Luke Carpenter’s families. Luke is a senior on the team, currently using his medical redshirt.
Both Corbin and Luke have a good amount of familiarity with the course since they grew up playing it. Renner used it to his advantage last year, finishing seventh. This year expectations were equally high.
“Of course, I put added pressure on myself playing there,” Renner said. “I have played there so many time, and I know what I’m capable of.”
The ‘Cats are now two weeks away from travelling to McKinney for the Southland Conference Championship. Next week they will compete in the Jim West Intercollegiate where they will face many of the teams also playing in McKinney. For seniors like Renner and Walters, their college golf tournaments left to play are numbered.
“I need to just work on trying to have more fun on the course,” Renner said. “I only have 2 tournaments left in my college career, and I need to make the most of it.”
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