The men’s golf team began its spring tournament slate with a 12th-place finish at the Hal Williams Collegiate tournament, hosted by the University of Southern Alabama.
The tournament, which was played on Feb. 16-17, hosted a variety of schools, including the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Texas State University, the University of Illinois and Louisiana Tech University.
The tournament was the Wildcats’ first since Oct. 27-28, where the team finished fourth at the Florida Atlantic Invitational.
“We’re all excited to start the season,” Gregoire Hoyeau said. “Obviously, it’s been three months since we competed, so we’ve all been working hard on our game. We’re all looking forward to that first tournament.”
Hoyeau, senior from Paris, France, ended the tournament four-over par and in 44th place. Hoyeau logged rounds of even par 70, 71, and 73 over the two-day, three-round tournament.
“It’s a pretty long course with a lot of trees,” Hoyeau said. “Driving the ball well and far is going to be helpful. It’s all about putting the ball on the good side of the hole and just leaving ourselves the easier chance at making a birdie or par.”
Hoyeau logged 12 birdies over his 54 holes while making 10 bogeys.
Jack Hollingsed, sophomore from Dallas, led the Wildcats at even par through his three rounds while logging a three-over par score on his final round.
“I just want to see some competitiveness,” Head Coach Tom Shaw said. “I think there will be a few pieces of rust that affect us, but I want to see some spirited competition.”
Thomas Buisson, senior from Bordeaux, France, finished just behind Hollingsed at one-over par over the three rounds. Buisson was named Co-Western Athletic Conference Golfer of the Month in the fall after a couple of good tournament showings.
Ahead of the tournament, Shaw encouraged his team not to be too focused on the result but on the process and opportunity ahead of them.
“Our goal is to win the conference, and that doesn’t happen this week,” Shaw said. “We’re going to see where we are after this tournament and allow for it to push us forward next week.”
Despite the extended break from October to February, the Wildcats will play a tournament almost every week from Feb. 16 to the end of April. The team’s next tournament is the Military City Collegiate, hosted by the University of Texas San Antonio on Feb. 23-24.
“We do have a busy spring,” Shaw said. “There’ll be three tournaments in a row, four in five weeks. Again, let’s not make this any bigger than what it needs to be. This is just one tournament of many this spring, and it’s a chance for us to see where we are after three months.”
