UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS GOLF
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OPELIKA, Ala. – Tyson Reeder rolled in a three-foot putt on his final hole for a birdie to take medalist honors at the Tiger Invitational by Jason Dufner, played at Grand National Lake Course (par 72, 7,289 yards). The 21st-ranked Razorbacks broke par all three rounds and placed seventh in the 15-team field, posting a 9-under par 855 (287-284-284).
Reeder was tied for second after 36 holes and played 16 holes Tuesday before the final round was suspended due to inclement weather. Reeder finished the 54-hole event with a par, bogey and birdie to shoot a 2-under-par 70 in the final round for a three-day, 10-under-par total of 206 (67-69-70). He tied Georgia’s Davis Thompson, who shot a final-round 73, for first and a playoff was not contested due to inclement weather.
Thompson is ranked 16th in the nation by Golf Stat. Reeder and Thompson defeated 22 other golfers in the field ranked among the nation’s top 100, including four among the nation’s top 20.
“I knew I was playing well (prior to play being suspended) so I just made the commitment to keep trusting my game,” Reeder said. “I knew if I parred the last 3 holes, I would give myself a chance to win the tournament. I just tried to stay in the present. I bogeyed my second hole, and I knew I had to make a birdie on the last. I just kept trusting myself and I ended up hitting it to three feet. It’s a great feeling to know the hard work has paid off.”
Reeder is the 13th Razorback (on record) to win multiple events and he ties for 14th on the program’s all-time list for best score in relation to par at -10. The graduate senior won Nebraska’s Git-R-Done Invitational two years ago with a 36-hole total of 140 (-2). Reeder joins current Hogs William Buhl and Julian Perico was two-time career winners and joins Perico was a winner this year.
“Tyson has improved each year and continues to trend in the right direction,” head coach Brad McMakin said. “He puts in extremely hard work and I couldn’t be prouder of this huge accomplishment.”
Host and #16 Auburn won with a score of 838 (-26), followed by #34 Alabama 840 (-24), #24 LSU 851 (-13), #14 Vanderbilt 851 (-13), South Carolina 853 (-11), #13 Georgia 854 (-10) and Arkansas 855 (-9). The Razorbacks defeated #20 Tennessee, #23 Arkansas State, #6 Texas A&M, #37 UAB and #42 Georgia Southern.
Reeder, who started on hole 7, got his final round off to a good start with six pars and an eagle on the par-5, 12th hole. Overall, Reeder played the 12th hole at -5 over three days with a birdie, eagle and eagle. He dropped a shot on the 13th but got back to 2-under with a birdie on the 14th. He finished with seven pars Tuesday before play was suspended. He resumed his round Wednesday with a par, a bogey and a birdie to close for his 2-under-par round of 70.
Julian Perico climbed five spots in the final round to tie for 13th. He shot par or better all three rounds, giving him 15 such rounds this season, to record his sixth top 20 finish in seven events this season. The junior fired rounds of 69-72-71 for a total of 212 (-4).
Segundo Oliva Pinto joined Perico with a 1-under-par 71 in the final round. He jumped 14 spots to finish tied for 56th (77-73-71=221 / +5).
William Buhl and Mason Overstreet both tied for 46th with a 54-hole score of 220 (+4). Buhl had back-to-back rounds at even-par 72 and climbed 11 spots in the final round. Manuel Lozada, playing as an individual, placed 82nd (80-73-78=231 / +15).
Up next, Arkansas will travel to West Point, Miss., to play in Mississippi State’s Old Waverly Collegiate Mar. 26-28.
