Verona, Wis. – The Western Carolina men's golf finished 13th in the season-opening Badger Invitational which concluded Tuesday afternoon at the par-72, 7,259-yard University Ridge Golf Course.
 
In second place after Monday's first round, the Catamounts were unable to keep the pace in the strong field, sliding 11 spots in the final finishing order.
 
Sophomore transfer Ryan Thomas paced WCU in a tie for 20th, shooting 2-over par 74 on Tuesday for a two-round total of 143. Thomas countered three bogeys with a trio of birdies to make the turn at even par. However, a triple-bogey on the par-4 10th left him at 3-over for the round with a fourth birdie – his eighth of the tournament – providing his final tally. Graduate transfer Adam Hooker came home in a tie for 34th in his first action for WCU, shooting 145 over the 36-hole event. Hooker started the final round at 2-under par, but four bogeys over his final holes left him at 74 for a total of 145.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five were fifth-year senior Louis Theys and transfer Pablo Hernandez, both in a tie for 46th with scores of 147, while senior Magnus Pedersen finished 89th overall with a score of 161.
 
Hooker and Thomas paced WCU's scoring five with 23 pars apiece with Theys, Thomas, and Hernandez finishing with a team-best eight birdies. Hernandez additionally led the field in par-5 scoring, shooting 8-under par (4.20) on the longest layouts. He along with Pedersen carded eagles in the 36-hole event.
 
First-round leader Texas A&M pulled away from the hard-charging tournament host Wisconsin to win the team title by 11 strokes, 556-to-567. Illinois State finished third with a score of 569, followed by Nebraska (571) and Purdue (573) to round out the top five.
 
Texas A&M's William Paysse and Ben Sluzas from Northern Illinois finished tied atop the individual leaderboard with matching scores of 135. Sluzas rallied seven positions to move into first place. Sam Jean from Cincinnati rebounded 13 spots to place in a two-way tie for third with Cameron Tankersley from Ole Miss.
 
Western Carolina men's golf returns to action Sept. 26-27, hosting the 2022 JT Poston Invitational at the beautiful Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Sapphire, N.C. This year marks the 16th season overall that WCU and CCSV have combined to host an intercollegiate men's golf tournament, beginning the partnership with the generous membership and management back in the 2004-05 season.
 
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