Men’s golf climbs the board to tie for third at Trinity Forest Invitational

Tuesday, October 5

Dallas, TX

Middle Tennessee

Trinity Forest Invitational

10/5/2021 4:12:00 PM | Men's Golf

Results

By: Thomas Donley, MT Athletics

Dallas, Texas – Middle Tennessee men's golf recorded the second-lowest team round of the day Tuesday at SMU's Trinity Forest Invitational, wrapping up the tournament with a tie for third place at 848 (-4). Michael Barnard bent the par-71, 7,330-yard course to his will in Tuesday's third and final round, recording six birdies and no pars for a career-best round of 65 (-6).

Barnard moved up from a tie for 21st after the second round to sole possession of fourth place Tuesday, starting the day at 1-over and ending with a 54-hole score of 208 (-5). His score of 65 equaled the fourth-lowest round by a Blue Raider player on record. Barnard's round Tuesday was the first by a Blue Raider this season with no holes above par.

Mattias Varjun made moves of his own Tuesday, climbing from 19th to a tie for fifth at 209 (-4). He birdied six holes on his way to a 67 (-4) – a career-low – in the third round. The Tallinn, Estonia, native carded two rounds of par or better, bringing his total for the fall to five.

Owen Stamper carded a 70 (-1) Tuesday to end the event tied for 29th at 217 (+4). He notched birdies on five holes for his sixth round of par or better on the year and second of the tournament.

Kevin Jegers finished the tournament tied for 46th at 222 (+9) after shooting a 73 (+1) on Tuesday. Nick Wolf carded a 78 (+7) to wrap up the event at 224 (+11), tying for 53rd.

Playing as an individual, Gavin Clements tied for 59th at 226 (+13).

SMU won the tournament at 826 (-26), while the Blue Raiders tied with Little Rock for third, 22 strokes back. SMU was 10-under at 274 Tuesday, while Middle Tennessee was 9-under at 275.The Mustangs' Noah Goodwin won the individual title at 198 (-15).

MT finished highest of the five Conference USA teams in the field, ending up five strokes ahead of fifth-place North Texas, 18 ahead of eighth-place UTSA, 30 better than 11th-place Louisiana Tech and 55 strokes lower than 13th-place Rice.

The Blue Raiders' 166 pars were tied for the second-most of any team in the first round. Barnard leads the field with 39 pars, with Wolf close behind with 26.

HEAD COACH MARK MCENTIRE ON THE FIRST DAY OF PLAY
"What a great way to finish the fall," head coach Mark McEntire said. "Great tournament for Mike and Mattias! I am very happy for them and glad it all came together. Also a great showing with a ll the conference schools. I'm proud of the team and the way we played the last two tournaments. We have some things to work on this offseason and will start very soon."