Arkansas MGolf Finishes 3rd at Blessings Collegiate

FAYETTEVILLE – The #26 Arkansas men’s golf program finished third (284-293-298=875 / +11) in the third annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational, presented by Tyson Foods.

Arkansas was led by Julian Perico, who tied for seventh with a 54-hole score of 215 (-1) with rounds of 71-74-70. Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Manuel Lozada and Segundo Oliva Pinto all posted top 20 finishes.

The Razorbacks and Ole Miss were bouncing back-and-forth at the second and third spots. Arkansas fell four strokes back after hole 14 However, an eagle by Fernandez de Oliveira and birdies by Perico and Lozada got Arkansas back into a tie for second. Perico also had a big birdie on 16 to keep the Hogs tied for second. Arkansas dropped a shot on 17 and 18 and ended up two shots back of the Rebels to finish third.

No.9 Texas A&M posted an even-par round Wednesday and finished with an 11-under-par score of 853 to win the team title going away. In fact, the 20-stroke margin of victory is a record for the BCI in its third year. Runner-up Ole Miss was +9 (873) thanks to shooting the low round for the day (285 / -3). Arkansas was third (875), followed by Clemson (882) and Mississippi State (883).

A&M’s Daniel Rodrigues was the individual champion. His 11-under-par score of 205 (69-66-70) ties the BCI 54-hole record.

Perico posted his 11th career top 10 finish and his first since March 2021. Perico made the turn at 2-under thanks to birdies at holes 5, 8 and 9. He slipped back to even before back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16 for his 2-under 70.

Fernandez de Oliveira tied for 15th (70-75-75=220 / +4). He had 15 pars, a triple bogey, a bogey and that key chip-in eagle on 15. Manuel Lozada (72-74-75) and Segundo Oliva Pinto (71-70-80) tied for 18th with a 5-over total of 221. It is Lozada’s second top-20 finish of the season and fifth of his career while Oliva Pinto had his 17th career top-20.

Individuals Matthew Griggs and Christian Castillo had top 30 finishes. Griggs, making his collegiate debut, finished tied for 25th (73-72-78=223 / +7) and Castillo tied for 30th (73-77-75=225 / +9). Wil Gibson tied for 42nd (74-79-78=231 / 15).

Arkansas closes out the fall campaign next week at the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup – played at the prestigious Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Fla) and hosted by Florida State. The event, televised live on GOLF Channel, features 36 holes on Oct. 10 and 18 final holes on Oct. 11 to determine an individual champion. The final day (Oct. 12) features match play to determine the winner.

BLESSINGS COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Presented by Tyson Foods
Oct. 5 – FINAL
Host School: Arkansas
Blessings Golf Club || Fayetteville, Ark.
7,700 yards || Par 72

TEAM SCORES:
1. #9 Texas A&M 292-273-288=853 (-11)
2. #30 Ole Miss 297-291-285=873 (+9)
3. #26 Arkansas 284-293-298=875 (+11)
4. #45 Clemson 292-297-293=882 (+18)
5. #38 Mississippi State 300-285-298=883 (+19)
6. #36 Louisville 295-301-292=888 (+24)
7. Kansas 286-310-298=894 (+30)
8. UCLA 304-299-295=898 (+34)
T9. Cal 309-296-298=903 (+39)
T9. UNLV 296-309-298=903 (+39)
11. Central Florida 307-302-295=904 (+40)

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.