Texas A&M didn’t let up Wednesday in the final round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational at Blessings Golf Club in Johnson.
The Aggies came into the day with a 16-stroke lead over the University of Arkansas. When the round was over, they had won the third annual event by a tournament-record 20 strokes over Ole Miss. A&M’s even-par round left the Aggies at 11-under 853, with the Rebels finishing at 21-over 885, while the Razorbacks slipped to third with a 25-over 889.
Texas A&M’s Daniel Rodrigues held off hard-charging Sarut Vongchaisit of Ole Miss by two strokes for the individual title. Rodrigues’ 2-under 70 in the final round left him 11 under overall, while Vongchasit settled for runner up after a 7-under 65 left him at 9 under for the tournament. Rodrigues’ 205 total tied the tournament’s 54-hole record.
Arkansas’ best finish came from Julian Perico who worked his way up to a tie for seventh after a 2-under 70 put him at 1 under. Teammates Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (t-15), Manuel Lozada (t-18) and Segundo Pinto (t-18) all had top-2o finishes for the Razorbacks. Wil Gibson finished tied for 42nd for Arkansas.
Razorback individuals Matthew Griggs and Christian Castillo finished in the top 30.
On the women’s side, Mississippi State overtook Ole Miss in the final round with a 2-under 286 to win the tournament by six strokes over the Rebels who started the day with a two-stroke lead but could only manage a 6-over 294.
Arkansas, which shot an even-par 288, moved up three spots on the field Wednesday and finished third at 25 over, 10 shots behind Mississippi State.
Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez held off Ole Miss teammates Andrea Lignell and Chiara Tamburlini to win the individual title with an overall 8-under 208 which included a 6-under 66 in the final round.
Arkansas’ Miriam Ayora (t-7, 5 over) and Julia Gregg (t-9, 6 over) gave the Razorbacks a pair of top-10 finishers. Teammates Giovanni Fernandez (17th) and Reagan Zibliski (t-18) provided stellar play, while Kajal Mistry shot an even-par 72 which included going bogey-free over the final 10 holes, as she finished in a tie for 31st.
Competing as an individual, Arkansas’ Kendall Todd placed 16th with a 9-over 225.