The men’s golf team finished third in the Western Athletic Conference tournament in McKinney, hosted by Stonebridge Ranch Country Club. The third-place finish is the team’s highest since the 2022 season.

Ahead of the tournament, the Wildcats had finished fifth at the Robert Kepler Invitational, hosted by Ohio State University, and won the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational.

“We felt pretty good going into it,” head coach Tom Shaw said. “We felt that we were one of the best teams there. We showed that during the entire tournament. Unfortunately, it we came up short.”

With three holes to play on the final round of the tournament, the Wildcats were tied for the lead. The wind conditions had changed significantly from day to day, making some holes more attackable and the back three holes particularly challenging.

“It made some holes easier, but it made the closing holes really hard,” Shaw said. “We knew that going in and were prepared for it.”

The Wildcats shot a team total 16-over par after posting a 1-over final round. Thomas Buisson, senior from Bordeaux, France, led the team at 2-under on the final day, while Gregoire Hoyeau, senior from Paris, France, led the Wildcats at 2-over on the tournament. Hoyeau finished sixth individually, good for his second consecutive top-10 finish at Stonebridge and his fourth top-10 of the season.

“Greg’s a special guy,” Shaw said. “He’s just a true golfer. Doesn’t matter if he’s hitting it good or bad; he gives you everything he has. At the end of the week, every tournament, he left nothing out there, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

The team trailed UT Arlington by three strokes after the first day but fell to third place after round two, as the Tarleton State Texans posted a tournament-low even-par second round. Both the Wildcats and the Mavericks shot 8-over on day two before each shooting 1-over on the final round.

“I was just trying to treat it like any other tournament,” Hoyeau said. “Obviously, it’s the conference championship, so there’s always that added pressure because we want to qualify for the NCAA tournament.”

Hoyeau, playing in his final WAC tournament, said he’s thankful for both ACU and the team. The Frenchman played all four seasons in Abilene, working his way from the bottom of the program to the top.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hoyeau said. “So many memories. I’m forever grateful for coach giving me the opportunity and just being able to grow around my teammates. Building relationships and friendships that will last forever. It’s just been amazing.”

Hoyeau also looked back at his struggles as a freshman, finishing at the back of the team’s qualifiers and rarely seeing tournament play.

“My first semester at ACU, I didn’t play a single tournament,” Hoyeau said. “Going from that to the semester after qualifying for tournaments, then the year after starting to get top tens, the year after getting All-WAC Second Team, then this year getting the win. The trajectory has just been incredible.

In addition to Hoyeau, the Wildcats will graduate three. Buisson, Niklas Blalock from McGregor, and Tres Hill, graduate from Elk City, Oklahoma.

“Greg and Thomas have been here the longest, and both have been great players,” Shaw said. “Tres has been here one year, but he’s like a million years old, and wise. Nik has been here for two years and is just a great team player.”