After falling short of winning a third straight SWAC title last month, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s golf team finished its season in dominant fashion.
UAPB won the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, held Monday through Wednesday at Whistler Straights in Kohler, Wis.
The Men’s Division I Championship featured nine HBCUs, including five SWAC teams. This was UAPB’s first time competing at this event after playing in the NCAA tournament the past two seasons.
The event also included a Men’s Division II Championship and Women’s Championship plus men’s and women’s individual championships.
The Golden Lions finished the three-round event 23-over-par 311, far better than the 55-over shot by Prairie View A&M and North Carolina A&T, which tied for second place.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB sophomore Jose Berenguel was the Division I team event’s low medalist, shooting 7-under-par across three rounds. He was the only individual to shoot under par, with second place Max Osten from Maryland-Eastern Shore shooting 3-over.
Golden Lion sophomore Jules De Reu placed fourth after shooting 7-over. Freshman Juan Melida tied for sixth at 9-over, with sophomore Timur Alalin finishing 10th at 14-over. Freshman Jonathan Baumann rounded out UAPB’s golfers by finishing 28th at 22-over.
The Golden Lions led after each round. UAPB had a 10-stroke lead following Monday’s opening round after shooting a team total of 291 (3-over) on the straights course. North Carolina A&T had the best day Tuesday on the Irish course, allowing the Aggies to surge six places to second place, but UAPB still led by 17 strokes after day two.
UAPB shot 28-over on Wednesday after returning to the straights course, 7 strokes better than any other team, to close out its championship.
Berenguel was in second place individually after the first round after shooting a 71 (1-under) on the straights course. Bryar Moss of Tennessee State led by 2 strokes at the time but struggled on the Irish course on Tuesday, dropping him out of contention as Berenguel moved into first place. De Reu sat in second after round two.
De Reu dropped to fourth on the final day, but Berenguel finished with a day-low score of 74 on the straights course, with his final putt finishing the day for UAPB and finalizing the Golden Lions’ championship performance.