CHANDLER, Ariz. — Bolstered by a 7-under-par scorecard from Christian Fanfelle, the UTSA men's golf team soared up the leaderboard on the final day of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, which concluded on Tuesday at The Cattail Course (par 72/7,334 yards) at Whirlwind Golf Club.
The Roadrunners entered the final round in 17th place but recorded a 15-under 273 — the fourth-best team score in program history and the third-lowest team tally of the final round — to move all the way into sole possession of eighth in the 25-team field. UTSA finished with an 11-under 853 — its second-best 54-hole total this season — to place three spots ahead of a tie between No. 19 Kansas and UC Irvine at 857 and a pair of strokes better than a deadlock between San Diego and UC Davis (855).
All four of UTSA's counting scores in the final round were red numbers paced by Fanfelle's 65. The senior from San Antonio registered eight birdies and an eagle on the 611-yard, par-5 12th hole on his way to matching Michael Rome's 65 from Monday, tied for the second-best scorecard in the tournament. The pair joins Hunter Bott, who shot a 65 at the season-opening Jim Rivers Intercollegiate in September, in the No. 2 spot on the list of the top scores in program history, trailing only a couple of 64s.
Bott fired a 4-under 68 that featured six birdies and an eagle on the 431-yard, par-4 ninth, while Rome and David Harrison each logged a 2-under 70 to help UTSA turn in the 273, a 17-shot improvement over its score in each of the first two rounds.
Rome led the Roadrunners this week with a career-best 8-under 208, good for a share of 11th place in the 128-man field, posting his fifth top-15 finish of the season. The senior out of Austin Westlake High School followed his 65 for the opening 18 with a 73 in the second round, which was split between the first two days due to darkness. His 70 today included three birdies and just one bogey, and he wrote down a team-best 37 pars to go along with 13 birdies for the week.
Jack Wehman finished in a tie for 51st at 1-over 217. After opening with a 72 on Monday, the freshman from Austin carded a 2-under 70 to lead all Roadrunners in the second round before closing with a 75 on Tuesday.
Harrison ended up with a share of 65th at 3-over 219. The Trophy Club native had five birdies as part of his 70 in the final round after carding a 75-74—149 for the first 36 holes, and he shared the team lead with Rome with 13 birdies for the tournament.
Bott tied for 83rd with a 5-over 221, as the Montgomery native bounced back from a 78-75—153 for the first two rounds with his 68, the fourth sub-70 scorecard of his junior campaign.
Fanfelle finished in a tie for 98th with a 7-over 223, as his career-best 65 marked a 20-shot improvement from his opening round and an eight-stroke bump from the 73 he recorded for the second 18.
San Diego State captured the team title with a 39-under 825, followed by Long Beach State (-26), No. 38 Nevada (-23), Colorado State (-23) and UNLV (-18) in the top five of the team standings.
UTSA ended up in front of three Big 12 teams in Kansas, 16th-place Iowa State (861) and 19th-place TCU (865).
Long Beach State's Isaac Rodea claimed individual medalist honors with a 13-under 203 (65-69-69).
The Roadrunners will be back in action this Saturday-Sunday, April 9-10, at the Aggie Invitational in Bryan, Texas.
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