T-Bird (M-Golf) Places 8th at Districts, Qualifies for Nationals

NMJC men's golf came in eighth place at the South Central District Championship Tuesday, April 28 in San Antonio, Texas. 

McLennan CC won the 54-hole tournament with a score of 19-under par. Odessa College was runner-up at 15-under par, and Weatherford College placed third at 4-under. Michael Mayer of Weatherford College won the tournament individually after shooting 11-under par in 54 holes (66-67-72). 

The T-Birds were 37 shots behind the Highlanders shooting 18-over (292-291-299) this week. 

Oliver Ruutu was the top performer for NMJC this week at Mission Del Lago GC. The sophomore shot a 4-over 76 in Round 1 but turned it around in Round 2 firing a 3-under 69. Ruutu's final round was a 3-over 75 where he placed T-19 at 4-over. Ruutu was first in par-5 scoring this week at 8-under par.  

Eino Haaslahti was the No. 2 man for the Thunderbirds as he opened with a 3-over 75. The second round was a 2-over 74 and in his final round he registered an even-par 72.  Haaslahti finished his tournament at 5-over in a tie for 24th place. 

Tristan Kolasinski posted an impressive 3-under 69 in his first round of the tourney. He took a step back in Round 2 with an 8-over. Kolasinski closed with a 4-over 76 to finish at 9-over in a tie for 36th place. Kolasinski was sixth in par-5 scoring this week at 8-under par.  

Alfie Mellor posted an even-par 72 in Round 1 and a 2-over 74 in Round 2. The final round was not his best as he recorded a 10-over 82 to finish 12-over and in a tie for 44th place. 

Riley Apodaca was the final member of the team score. He shot an 8-over 80 in Round 1 but recovered in Round 2 shooting a 2-over 74. His final round was a 4-over 76 where he ended the tournament in 49th place at 14-over par. 

The T-Birds missed out on the three automatic qualifying spots from districts with their eighth-place finish, but they received an at-large bid to the nationals due to their NJCAA No. 13 team ranking.

The Thunderbirds final event of the season is the NJCAA National Championship in Newton, Kan., May 12-15 at Sand Creek Station.