University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
The American Championships
Men's Golf in Third at American Championships
5/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Live Scoring | First-Round Results |
|---|
| Team | Rounds | Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| 1. | #15 USF | 285 | 285 | -3 | ||
| 2. | East Carolina | 287 | 287 | -1 | ||
| 3. | #35 Houston | 290 | 290 | +2 | ||
| 4. | UCF | 293 | 293 | +5 | ||
| 5. | #39 Memphis | 294 | 294 | +6 | ||
| 6. | Cincinnati | 295 | 295 | +7 | ||
| 7. | Tulsa | 300 | 300 | +12 | ||
| 8. | UConn | 302 | 302 | +14 | ||
| 9. | Temple | 304 | 304 | +16 | ||
| HOUSTON LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| t3. | Vincent Martino | 70 | 70 | -2 | ||
| t12. | Papito Gonzalez | 73 | 73 | +1 | ||
| t12. | Joshua Gibbons | 73 | 73 | +1 | ||
| t20. | Michael Perras | 74 | 74 | +2 | ||
| t31. | Blair Hamilton | 76 | 76 | +4 | ||
| OVERALL LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| t1. | Brandon Matthews Temple | 69 | 69 | -3 | ||
| t1. | Wesley Conover East Carolina | 69 | 69 | -3 | ||
| t3. | Vincent Martino Houston | 70 | 70 | -2 | ||
| t3. | #26 Aksel Olsen USF | 70 | 70 | -2 | ||
| t3. | Timothy Conover East Carolina | 70 | 70 | -2 | ||
Playing on the 7,025-yard, par-72 Quarry Course at Black Diamond Ranch, Martino was 1-over-par through 13 holes but birdied three of his final five holes to lead the Cougars in their first postseason event of the season.
As a team, the Cougars fired a total of 290 to stand five strokes behind First-Round leader No. 15 USF and three strokes back of East Carolina. UCF (293), No. 39 Memphis (294), Cincinnati (295), Tulsa (300), UConn (302) and Temple (304) rounded out the field.
Martino was the only member of the Cougar's starting lineup with previous conference championships experience entering Sunday's First Round. The Southlake, Texas, started his day on a positive note with a birdie on No. 1 and moved to 1-under-par with another birdie on No. 5.
Unfortunately, he fell back to even-par with a bogey on No. 6 and went over par for the first time in the round with a bogey on No. 12. After a par on No. 13, Martino began his run.
He returned to even par with a birdie on the 505-yard, par-5, 14th hole and added another birdie on the par-4, 16th hole. Martino closed out his round with a birdie on No. 18 and tied with No. 26 Aksel Olsen of USF and East Carolina's Timothy Conover for third.
Temple's Brandon Matthews and Wesley Conover of East Carolina tied for the First-Round lead after posting 69s Sunday.
Sophomores Papito Gonzalez and Joshua Gibbons each recorded 73s Sunday to tie for 12th. Gibbons enjoyed the team's best start of the day with three birdies through his first five holes but battled a tough stretch on the back nine before draining a birdie on No. 18 for his First-Round score.
Sophomore Michael Perras was tied for 20th with a 74, while senior Blair Hamilton was tied for 31st at 76.
SECOND-ROUND PAIRINGS
The 3-day, 54-hole tournament continues with the Second Round, beginning at 7 a.m. (CDT) Monday. Starting their day off No. 1, the Cougars will compete in threesomes with student-athletes from USF and East Carolina
Hamilton will start the day at 7:50 a.m. (CDT) with Perras (8 a.m. CDT), Gibbons (8:10 a.m. CDT), Gonzalez (8:20 a.m. CDT) and Martin (8:30 a.m. CDT) following.
Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend. Fans can follow live scoring by visiting golfstat.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here. Fans can learn more about the 2016 Championships by visiting Championship Central.
The winner of The American Championships receives the league's automatic berth into NCAA Regional play, scheduled for May 16-18 at one of six sites across the country.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
The Cougars have enjoyed a rich history in conference championships. Houston has captured 20 team championships and 20 individual titles during its history, including team and individual sweeps at the 2013 Conference USA championship at Texarkana Country Club, in its most recent.
This mark the second straight season in which the Cougars will compete at Black Diamond Ranch. A year ago, Houston finished fourth with seniors Kyle Pilgrim and Roman Robledo finishing among the top-10 individual leaders.
UP NEXT
Following The American Championships, the Cougars hope to compete at the NCAA Regional on May 16-18 at a site to be determined. The Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show at 8:30 a.m., May 5, on the Golf Channel and the Golf Channel's web site.
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, Ala.); Gallery Golf Club (Tucson, Ariz.); Meadow Valley Course -- Blackwolf Run (Kohler, Wisc.); Championship Course at UNM (Albuquerque, N.M.); Karsten Golf Club (Stillwater, Okla.); Vanderbilt Legends Club (Nashville, Tenn.) will host NCAA Regionals in 2016.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at HoustonCougarGolf.
Players Mentioned
