The Wildcats, led by a first-place finish from Grégoire Hoyeau, secured a fifth-place finish at the Robert Kepler Invitational, hosted by Ohio State University.

Hoyeau, senior from Paris, France, ended the tournament with a career-best 9-under par after a 6-under par effort during the final round. His victory is the first win by an individual for the program since 2021.

The team entered the tournament off a win at the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational, something Hoyeau said added to his confidence and allowed him to play at a higher level.

“We’ve had a lot of on-course practice,” Hoyeau said. “Coming off a win at Chambers Bay was a huge confidence boost for us all. I shot 7-under in the last round at Chambers Bay, so I was riding the momentum of some good golf.”

Hoyeau’s first round ended with three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey, leaving him at even par through the first 18 holes and in a good position to attack the next two rounds. He did exactly that, shooting rounds of 3-under and 6-under to close the tournament.

“I was checking the live scoring quite a bit the first day,” Hoyeau said. “I was in eighth after the first day and got off to a really good start the last day. Once I moved to 5-under through 10, I knew I was in contention, so I just stopped looking at the live scoring and told myself to keep my foot on the gas for the team.”

He also said he was able to take advantage of how the course played, noting that it fit his game well and he knew where he could take chances and when to play conservatively.

“It’s a course that suits my game,” Hoyeau said. “It penalizes bad tee shots, but at the same time, there’s always a way to get to the green. That’s where I thrive.”

The Frenchman carded 10 birdies in his final 18 holes of play to card a 66 and his second consecutive round in the 60s to tie for the lead with Minnesota’s Jack Crousore. The 6-under par final round was the best score in the final round and tied for the best round of the tournament.

Thomas Buisson, junior from Bordeaux, France, ended the tournament even par, carding rounds of 2-under and 1-under to end the tournament. He and Colin Leonard, sophomore from San Angelo, ended in a tie for 32nd at even par, while Tres Hill, graduate from Elk City, Oklahoma, rounded out the teams taken scores with a 2-over par finish.

The team’s fifth-place finish put them ahead of several Power Four programs, including Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana. Hoyeau said the team is in a good spot with several players having played well ahead of the Western Athletic Conference Championship later this month.

“I think we all feel really good about our chances next week,” Hoyeau said. “We are all eager to do well. We want it so bad, and I think with all the preparation we’ve done, if we play our game, we really have a good chance.”

The WAC Championship will be played at The Dye Golf Course at Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney, April 27-29.