Western New Mexico's men's golf team held off hard-charging Scottsdale Community College Sunday to remain undefeated in their home event, the Cactus Thaw. In addition to the team victory, senior Scott Crichton shot his second-straight 68 around Silver City Golf Course to take the individual title. The Mustangs' team score of 284-285--569 equalled one-over par. The SCGC usual par of 72 is trimmed for the collegiate players to 71. The WNMU second team was also sharp, finishing in third place in the eight team event.
Crichton's six-under par total of 136 was one shot clear of South Mountain's Branden Barron, who had rounds of 68 and 69. Those two were tied for the lead after round one, but Crichton's experience around the course helped him to the win. The University of Arizona's Juan Pablo Hernandez finished third at three-under (69-70) while Scottsdale's Stanislav Matus was fourth after posting the tournament's low round of 66 Sunday to finish at -2. WNMU's Edward Parker was fourth at -1 (72-69) to round out the top-five.
Mesa Community College finished fourth in the team's standings with rounds of 294-286 while rival South Mountain shot rounds of 293-291. Grand Canyon's B and C teams finished 292-293 and 293-301 respectively and checked in sixth and seventh while Division III Pomona Pitzer rounded out the field in eighth with 313-309.
The University of Arizona and New Mexico State entered four individuals each but didn't participate in the team competition.
"I'm really happy for Scott," said WNMU Coach Kent Beatty. "He's our career low scorer, and as a senior, it's nice to see him get a win around the home track. The kids have a good time playing the Thaw and the course is set up differently than they normally see it so going six-under par in 36 holes is quite an accomplishment," Beatty continued.
With the win Crichton joins teammate Eric Chavez (2007) and Marcus Molina (2008) as Cactus Thaw Champions. NMSU's Ryan Word took home the Cactus last year.
"The team has some work to do," said Beatty. "We didn't play poorly, but we had a lot of inconsistency. We tried some shots that we play everyday, but the setup didn't allow for it so we need to be able to see the shots that the course give us better. And as always, our putting can improve. We gave away a lot of shots on the greens. Still the win is nice, and we beat some very talented teams. South Mountain and Mesa are elite teams, and it looks like Scottsdale is returning to form so it was a good weekend for us," said Beatty