Ortiz Leads The Way In Opening Tournament
CARMEL, Calif. – Entering the day as the 36-hole leader, Arkansas sophomore Alvaro Ortiz earned his first career top 10 finish as the Razorbacks tied for seventh at the season-opening Carmel Cup held at Pebble Beach.
Taking on a field in which all eight teams were either ranked or received votes in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, Arkansas’ best round of the weekend came on Friday when it carded a five-man score of three-under 357. Four of the six players in the lineup carded an even-par round or lower.
Ortiz’s first career top 10 finish saw the sophomore tie for seventh overall in the 48-player field. One of just four players that finished under-par in each of the first two rounds, Ortiz’s 69-70-77 even-par scorecard featured a team-best 11 birdies. Ortiz finished a combined five-under on the course’s back nine, while his two under-par rounds are already half his total from 2014-15.
Seniors Nicolas Echavarria and Taylor Moore tied for the second spot in the Arkansas lineup and 23d place overall. Echavarria nearly worked his way into the top 20 with a team-low one-under 71 on Sunday, good for one of just 11 under-par rounds turned in by the field on the final day. The one-under 71 was the second of the weekend for Echavarria (71-78-71) and he joined Moore with his first eagle of the year. Along with Ortiz, Moore was one of four players to shoot under-par in the first two rounds but slipped to 23rd position with a final round 78.
@RazorbackMGolf Lineup
T7. Alvaro Ortiz – 69-70-77/216 (E)
T23. Taylor Moore – 71-71-78/220
T23. Nicolas Echavarria – 71-78-71/220
36. Kolton Crawford – 72-73-80/225
T45. Noah Edmondson – 77-83-73/233
T45. Zach Coats – 74-81-78/233
Note: All six players are part of the lineup with the top five scores each round contributing to the team score.
Carmel Cup Final Standings (Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll)
1. Oklahoma State (16) – 361-351-363/1075 (-5)
2. Georgia (12) – 361-360-360/1081
3. Vanderbilt (10) – 357-364-361/1082
4. Oklahoma (18) – 364-359-365/1088
5. Texas Tech (RV) – 377-352-370/1099
6. TCU (RV) – 377-362-367/1106
T7. Arkansas (RV) – 357-373-377/1107
T7. Ohio State (RV) – 372-364-371/1107
