PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Paced by a 1-over-par scorecard from Brayden Bare, the UTSA men's golf team moved up three spots on the leaderboard on the final day of the Sea Best Invitational, which concluded Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley (par 70/6,790 yards).
Bare fired a 71 that featured a pair of birdies, while Hunter Bott and Jack Wehman each posted a 72 in the final round of the 54-hole spring season opener.
David Harrison provided UTSA's other counting score with a 73, as the Roadrunners registered an 8-over 288, the sixth-best team score in the final round, to move from 11th place into a tie for eighth (881) in the final standings. UTSA shared eighth with host Jacksonville, one shot ahead of Campbell and four in front of College of Charleston in the 13-team field. The Roadrunners were only four strokes behind Florida Atlantic for seventh and six back of No. 31 Lipscomb.
Christian Fanfelle led UTSA this week by finishing in a tie for 26th at 6-over 216. The super senior from San Antonio opened with a 71-70—141 on Monday before turning in a 75 in the final round.
Wehman tied for 45th at 12-over 222, as the sophomore out of Austin bounced back from a 79 in the first round with a 71 on Monday afternoon before closing with a 72 that was buoyed by a trio of birdies on a four-hole stretch.
Harrison was one shot behind Wehman with a 223, good for a share of 49th. The senior from Trophy Club logged his second straight 73 on Tuesday after writing down three birdies, rebounding from his opening-round 77.
Bott's final-round 72 was highlighted by birdies on the 558-yard, par-5 first and 403-yard, par-4 fourth holes. The senior from Montgomery finished in a tie for 53rd with a 224 (77-75-72).
Bare jumped nine places into a tie for 65th after posting his 71 on Tuesday. The freshman from Waco had birdies on the 326-yard, par-4 seventh and 409-yard, par-4 13th holes in the final round after opening with an 82-76—158 on Monday.
No. 9 Florida claimed the team title with a 14-under 826 behind the top three individual finishers in Fred Biondi (-6), Ricky Castillo (-6) and Giovanni Manzoni (-5). No. 42 North Florida (849), No. 40 Liberty (854), No. 44 Louisville (856) and Florida Gulf Coast (860) rounded out the top five teams.
The Roadrunners will return to the course on Feb. 20-21 at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic in Houston.
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