CHOUDRANT, La. — Brayden Bare and Joshua Hong each fired a 3-under-par 69 to lead UTSA in the final round of the Argent Financial Classic, which wrapped up Tuesday at Squire Creek Country Club (par 72/7,105 yards).
Bare was one shot off his collegiate career best posted twice during the American Conference Championship this past April, while Hong notched a one-shot improvement over the pair of 70s he turned in during the first two rounds of his collegiate debut this week.
Behind those two sub-70 scorecards, the Roadrunners registered their low round of the season-opening event with a 4-under 284, as Logan Vargas and Francisco Solorza each carded a 73. UTSA moved up one place on the final day into 12th, finishing at 1-over 865 (292-289-284). The Roadrunners ended up three strokes ahead of UAB and four in front of ULM.
Hong was UTSA’s top finisher overall, earning a tie for ninth place at 7-under 209. The freshman from Guadalajara, Mexico, was only three strokes out of a tie for fifth in the 99-player field. After opening the week with back-to-back 70s, he turned in a 69 on Tuesday that was headlined by five birdies. Starting the 10th, he circled his number on 356-yard, par-4 13th and then negated a bogey on the next hole with a two on the 205-yard 16th. After settling for a five on the par-4 first, he birdied the 528-yard, par-5 second and then closed out the tournament with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8-9. He led the Roadrunners with 13 birdies and played the par fives at a team-best 6-under par.
Vargas finished at even-par 216, good for a tie for 41st. The senior from Lubbock started the week with a 72 and then posted a 1-under 71 on Monday before his final-round 73 that included a pair of birdies, giving him a dozen circled numbers for the event.
Bare was one shot behind Vargas in a tie for 48th with a 1-over 217. The redshirt junior out of Waco saved his best round for last with the 3-under 69. He had three birdies against only one bogey on the back to get to 2-under for the day. He countered a pair of bogeys on the front with a two on the 194-yard, par-3 third and an eagle on the 546-yard, par-5 ninth.
Solorza tied for 84th (75-76-73—224) and Jacob King was 94th (78-75-75—228).
Houston (-32) captured the team title followed by South Alabama (-26) and Southern Miss (-18).
The Roadrunners will return to action next Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 15-16, when they travel to Chicagoland for the Highlands Invitational.
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