WESTCHESTER, Ill. — Joshua Hong posted his second straight top-15 finish to help lead the UTSA men’s golf team to seventh place at the Highlands Invitational, which concluded Tuesday at Chicago Highlands Club (par 72/7,349 yards).
Hong tied for 12th place at 1-under-par 215 to help the Roadrunners register an 885 (299-293-293), one shot ahead of Iowa and six in front of Louisiana Tech. UTSA ended up only six strokes behind VCU and a dozen out of the top five.
After opening with a 2-over 74 on Monday morning, Hong carded consecutive rounds below par to move into a share of 12th in the 74-man field. The freshman from Guadalajara, Mexico, finished out a 1-under 71 early Tuesday morning in a round that was suspended due to darkness, closing with three birdies in a row. He turned around and recorded a 2-under 70 for the final 18 holes on the strength of four more birdies, including back-to-back on Nos. 1-2, and finished with a team-high 11 birdies this week.
Hong, who fired a 7-under 209 to tie for ninth place at last week’s Argent Financial Classic, now has turned in five red numbers and boasts a 70.67 scoring average over six rounds during his debut campaign.
In his first tournament of the season, Logan Zurn tied for 31st with a 6-over 222. The senior from Grapevine, Texas, opened with a 74 followed by a 75 before closing with a 1-over 73 on Tuesday that featured four birdies.
Brayden Bare grabbed a share of 41st with a 225. The redshirt junior out of Waco bounced back from a 78 in the opening round with an even-par 72 and a 75, logging four birdies on each of his final two scorecards.
Francisco Solorza and Logan Vargas each ended up in a tie for 51st with a 228.
Solorza, a redshirt freshman from Mexico, closed with his best round of the week, a 3-over 75 that included a trio of birdies after opening with a 76-77—153.
Vargas, a senior from Lubbock, posted back-to-back 75s to start his week before settling for a 78 in the final round.
Wake Forest captured the team title with a 24-under 840, followed by host East Tennessee State (-16) and Coastal Carolina (+1) in the top three of the 13-team field.
Playing as an individual, Wake Forest’s Jorge Hao claimed the individual crown with a 17-under 199 (65-65-69).
The Roadrunners will be back in action next Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 22-23, at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin.
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