Courtesy of New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –– The New Mexico men’s golf team concluded play Saturday at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, its home event at the UNM Championship Course. Alvaro Portillo recorded his first collegiate victory while the Lobos finished second in the team standings.
The Lobos shot 10-over during the final round to finish the event at 11-under, one shot behind Colorado at 12-under. The Buffaloes were the only team to shoot under par during Saturday’s windy conditions. Long Beach State (3-under), UNLV (2-over) and Grand Canyon (4-over) rounded out the top five.
Portillo earned his first career victory in a playoff, edging teammate Carson Herron on the third playoff hole after both finished the tournament at 8-under. After both players had a birdie on the first hole and a par on the second hole, Portillo used a birdie on the third hole of the playoff to become the Lobos’ first individual champion at the Tucker since Andrej Bevins in 2015-16.
“What a great tournament for Alvaro and Carson,” said head coach Jake Harrington. “They led us the whole way and without them, we wouldn’t have had a chance at the team title. Alvaro came up huge and battled the whole time. It is always tough to be in a playoff against a teammate. He won with a birdie, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted one of those guys to go out and win it, and that’s what Alvaro did. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Portillo led the Lobos on Saturday with a 1-over 73 to finish at 8-under. Herron, who had the 36-hole lead, shot 75 on Saturday in the final round. Oliver Cage shot 74, Mesa Falleur shot 76 and Wyatt Provence shot 77 to round out the UNM lineup.
“We put ourselves in position to win, but you have to take your hat off to Colorado,” said Harrington. “The wind was nasty over the last hour of play and it came down to the final holes. Those guys made a couple of pars on No. 3, one of the toughest par-3s, especially in that wind, to seal the deal. It’s a team loss and we didn’t lose it on any one shot or hole. When you lose a 10-shot lead, it’s tough. I told the guys you have to learn from it, take constructive criticism, and bounce back. Hopefully at the end of the season, we will look back at this as a turning point in a positive way.”
The Lobos return to action October 8-9 with the NB3 Matchplay Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club on the Santa Ana Pueblo. The four-school event, featuring the men’s and women’s teams from New Mexico, New Mexico State, Stanford and Texas will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.
