GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - The Southwestern men's golf team took to Riverhill Country Club in Kerrville, Texas, for the SCAC Conference Championships this week. This week would be the first year since 2013 that the conference champions would receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in Nicholasville, Kentucky. 

The Pirates came into the tournament with five top 3 finishes on the year, including one team victory at the San Antonio Shootout in February. The Pirates finished in two consecutive runner-up positions in their last two tournaments at the Linda Lowery and West Region Invitationals. 

It was a rocky start for Southwestern at Riverhill. Three Pirates shot over 78 in the first round of the tournament, with the only bright spot being first-year golfer Rex Newsom who carded a 74 in his first round to tie for tenth. The Pirates found themselves in fifth place at the end of round one in the field of seven teams. 

At the conclusion of round two, the Pirates as a team improved by five strokes. However, the men in the lineup essentially traded places with each other. The Pirates gained one position to move into fourth place but were still seventeen shots back from the next team, Schreiner University. Nicholas Hoisington improved three strokes to shoot 78, 75 for the day, while Christian Rodriguez improved by nine, shooting 83, 74, putting him in a tie for 24th at the end of day one. Sophomore Bryce Stiemert shot the second-lowest two-round score behind Hoisington with 155 on the day (76, 79), and he held in a tie for 17th. The University of St. Thomas led the pack with two rounds under 300 as a team scoring 590, one shot ahead of second-place Trinity University. 

The Pirates were able to hold on to the fourth position until the conclusion of the tournament. Southwestern improved steadily over three rounds and carded an even 300 as a team in the final round of play. Hoisington was the Pirate's top scorer, finishing in a tie for 13th with a total score of 227 (78, 75, 74). Sophomore Matthew Peesker was the Pirate's second leading finisher with a final score of 230 (82, 75, 73) followed by Rodriguez, who rounded out the top 20 in the field with 232 (83, 74, 75). 

Rodriguez was named All-SCAC Men's Golf Honorable Mention for his efforts in the tournament. To view the full championship release and All-SCAC recipients, click here