UNM men's golf posts furious rally, but falls just short

Only one team had ever closed the Mountain West Championship with a better final round than the one New Mexico men’s golf put up Tuesday.

It somehow wasn’t enough.

Behind a blistering final-round 20-under-par 268, UNM surged from fifth place to a tie for first with UNLV at 39 under par at the end of regulation, but lost the Mountain West title in a playoff against the Rebels.

Playing at the par-72, 7,194-yard Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona, the 21st-ranked Lobos came back from eight strokes down by carding a final round score second to only San Diego State’s conference record 28-under 260 in 2023.

In doing so, UNM also matched UNLV’s 54-hole total of 825, the third-best three-round score in conference history.

The Rebels beat the Lobos on a one-hole playoff contested at Omni’s par-4 18th. UNM has played in all but one of the conference championship’s five team playoffs, including the last three, in 2021, 2024 and on Tuesday.

“I am really proud of how the guys competed today,” UNM head coach Jake Harrington said in a release. “To shoot 20-under par, that took a lot from everyone … to get it to a playoff is impressive.

“It proves what we always say, that we are truly six deep and anyone on this team can lead us in any round.”

Wyatt Provence’s 7-under 65 represented the Lobos’ low round of the day while Johnnie Clark carded a 6-under 66. Thayer Plewe and Emil Albers finished in the red with a 5-under 68 and a 2-under 70; Clark Sonnenberg closed the tournament with an even-par 72.

Clark finished as the Lobos’ top player on the individual leaderboard, tying for fourth place at 12 under. Provence and Plewe tied for eighth place at 9 under, Albers was at 8 under (12th place) and Sonnenberg even par (39th place).

UNLV’s Zach Little finished at 17 under to win the league’s individual championship.

The Lobos played all three rounds without Mesa Falleur, their highest-ranked golfer. A team spokesperson said Falleur was held out with an injury; it is unclear what the injury is.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Selection Show is scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. As the 21st overall team in the NCAA rankings, the Lobos are almost assured an at-large bid to the 81-team tournament.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.

Mountain West Championship: Men's golf

1. UNLV* (-39 – 279-270-276)

2. UNM (-39 – 282-275-268)

3. San Diego State (-35 – 273-281-275)

4. Grand Canyon (-31 – 278-272-283)

5. Wyoming (-30 – 275-280-279)