T-Birds Finish 4th at NJCAA Golf Championship
The New Mexico Junior College golf team closed the 2023 season with a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA DI Men's Golf Championship Friday, May 19.
NMJC struggled to find a spark on the green as they battled brutal weather during the final round in Newton, Kan. The T-Birds fought through rain and 15 mph winds on their way to a 7-over par 295. The Thunderbirds shot 6-under par over the course of the four-day tournament (286-277-288-295).
Indian Hills won their seventh national title after shooting 25-under par at Sand Creek Station. Odessa College was second at 14-under par and Midland was third at 10-under par.
Indian Hills' Jose Ramirez shot 12-under to take home the individual title by two strokes.
Travis Robbie was the only T-Bird not over par in the final round. Robbie was 6-under par headed into his final round and was four shots off the 54-hole individual lead held by Midland's Chris Wardrup. The freshman began Day 4 par-bogey-bogey-birdie-par and was 1-over through his first five holes.
Robbie bogeyed the par-4 sixth hole and recorded pars on the last three holes of the front nine to post a 2-over par 38. The second nine was far more productive for the Gold Coast native.
Robbie made back-to-back birdies to start the back nine, which moved him to even-par for the round and 6-under par for the championship. He made pars on holes 12,13, and 14 before dropping a shot on No. 15. A bounce-back birdie on the par-5 16th lifted himself back up to level.
Robbie finished his final round with two pars to post an even-par 72. The Aussie came in solo fourth place with a 6-under par four-round total of 282 (72-69-69-72).
Will Green grinded out a 1-over 73 in the wind and rain Friday afternoon. Green began the day five shots off the lead for the individual title at 5-under par for the championship.
The Englishman started his round with six successive pars. Green bogeyed the long par-4 seventh hole and made pars on the two remaining holes on the front to make the turn at 1-over par.
The freshman started the back bogey-birdie to stay at 1-over par on the day. He made three pars in a row but dropped a shot on the par-4 15th to fall to 2-over. Green was able to birdie the par-5 16th and closed his round with two pars.
Green finished with a 1-over par final-round 73. The Portsmouth native came in a tie for seventh place at the championship with a 4-under par four-round total of 284 (71-67-73-73).
Matthis Lefèvre had a tough time building momentum on Friday afternoon. The sophomore started his round par-par-bogey-par and made a birdie on hole five to move back to level par. He finished the last three holes of his front nine par-double-par to shoot a 3-over par 39.
The back nine was a little more stable for Lefèvre. He made pars on 10 and 11, but bogeyed No. 13. A birdie on 16 brought himself to even par on the back. Two closing pars had the Frenchman shooting a 3-over par 75 in the final round. Lefèvre came in a tie for seventh place at 4-under par with a four-round total of 284 (68-69-72-75).
"Matthis will go down in the lore and history of NMJC golf as the best ever with nine wins and a professional win at the New Mexico Open," NMJC golf head coach Jay Rees said. "My heart goes out to him. He shed a tear after telling me how much it meant to him to have the 36-hole lead and not be able to finish on top."
Rees said he understands the frustration Lefèvre felt following his final round.
"I've been in his position where I had won everything up to the national championship and that week it just didn't go my way," Rees said. "I know how much it would have meant to him to win it. He just couldn't make enough putts to get it going. I thought he was the strongest player there in my opinion and sometimes the best player there doesn't win."
NMJC was the only team to have three players inside the Top-10 at the 2023 NJCAA DI Men's Golf Championship (Robbie, Green, and Lefèvre).
"Normally you get three guys in the Top-10 you're going to win, but we weren't able to get that extra boost from our four spot we needed," Rees said. "At the end of the day, Indian Hills made more putts and that was it."
Oskar Blomdahl posted a 3-over par 75 in the final round at Sand Creek Station. Blomdahl bogeyed his first hole of the day. The freshman made his way back to level par with a birdie on the sixth hole. The Swede capped off the last two holes of his front nine with a bogey and a par to make the turn in 1-over par.
The back nine was straightforward with Blomdahl accumulating six straight pars. He bogeyed the par-5 16th and closed his round par-bogey to shoot a 3-over 75. The substitute posted a 5-over two-day total of 149 (74-75).
Tim Chan went through an up and down round during the final day. Chan made pars on his first three holes. He then went birdie-bogey-bogey to drop to 1-over par through six holes. The sophomore made three consecutive pars to finish his front nine at 1-over par for the day.
Chan posted a par on the first hole of the back and then made birdies on 11 and 12 to move to 1-under par in his final round. The Hong Kong native fell to level par after giving a stroke back on 14.
Chan's solid round unraveled on the par-5 16th with a triple bogey. He went bogey-par to finish his round with a 4-over par final-round 76. Chan posted a four-round total of 298 (75-72-75-76).
Rees said that the tough finish in round three hurt their chances entering the final day.
"We didn't finish the third round like we needed to," Rees said. "The last three holes you need to make some birdies coming in and we didn't. We had to count a triple, which was a tough pill to swallow. I know Oskar felt terrible about that and it did derail some of our momentum. Regardless, we didn't make any birdies on the par-5 16th coming in on that third day where we needed to pick up strokes."
Indian Hills played the final four holes 4-under par and NMJC played the final four holes 4-over par in Thursday's third round.
"If we play these holes under par and head into the final day a handful of shots back with all the bad weather you never know," Rees said. "But that's team golf. One team makes them, and another team doesn't make them. We were right there; we just couldn't hole the putts."
There were plenty of positives to take away from this week competition as the T-Birds look towards their preparation for next year's championship on a familiar course.
"We did finish in fourth place last year but compared to a year ago we are a far better team," Rees said. "Last year we didn't have a lead. This year we had the lead at 18-under in the third round and it just didn't materialize our way. I believe next year we are going to have a great advantage with the national tournament being played at our home course Rockwind Community Links here in Hobbs, NM."
The Thunderbirds have three rising sophomores who played in this year's championship that will be building blocks for next year.
"It all starts with the right mindset," Rees said. "We will have three freshmen who have played in this championship before that are returning next year in Travis Robbie, Will Green, and Jono Boediman. Next year it is a wait and see thing with the new guys coming in, but I feel like entering next season we will have even more depth than what we saw this year."
The Thunderbirds will look to write a new script come next year May 14-17, 2024 at Rockwind Community Links.
"Our motto for next year is unfinished business," Rees said. "It's personal for these guys returning. The new guys are motivated, our returners are motivated, and I think we will be in for some great performances when we host the 2024 NJCAA DI Men's Golf Championship."