SANDESTIN, Fla. – Sophomore
Logan Pate fired a 5-under 66 over the final round of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship, helping Little Rock make a surge over the last 18 holes of the 2017-18 season. The Trojans posted a 5-under 279 during Tuesday's round, the third lowest score of the week among the tournament field, closing out the year placing 12th at the conference meet.
2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship Final Results
Pate's 66 is a new career low for the Richmond, Texas native, besting his previous low of 68 set earlier this season at the Border Olympics. Beginning on hole 10, Pate began the round with seven pars and two birdies over the back nine, carding a 2-under 34.
After pars on holes one through three, Pate registered birdies over the next four holes, moving his total to 6-under for the day. He would par hole eight before closing out the round with his lone blemish of the day, a bogey on the par-four ninth, registering the 5-under 66. The score matches the second-lowest individual round since the program was reinstated in 1993-94, becoming the eighth different Trojan to shoot a 66 and the first since Felipe Velasquez in 2008-09.
The effort moved Pate into a tie for 21st overall, finishing the event with a 7-over 220. He finished three shots better than freshman
Tiago Lobo's 10-over 223 as Lobo registered a 1-under 70 over the final 18 holes. Lobo finished at 1-over on the back nine, then found his zone over the front nine holes, shooting a 2-under 33 with seven pars and birdies on holes one and five.
Sophomore
Danial Durisic matched Lobo's 1-under 70 over the final round as well, posting a 2-under 34 on the back nine, notching birdies on holes 11 and 13. Durisic would notch a par on 11-straight holes, beginning on the par-four 14th, ending his second Sun Belt Championship tied for 34th at 11-over 224.
Junior
Justin Warren and freshman
Aaron Ramos each tied for 48th overall at 16-over 229. Ramos finished his first conference championship meet with a 2-over 73 while Warren posted a 5-over 76 over the final 18 holes.
Pate was the top Trojan finisher in par-three scoring, tied for seventh overall at 1-under with a 2.93 scoring average, while Lobo finished at 2-under on the par-fives with a 4.83 average, tied for 11th in the individual standings. Pate posted a 1-under on the par-fives and a 4.92 average, tying for 15th.
Entering the day in the number 12 spot, Little Rock's third round surge nearly pushed it out of the final spot, but the Trojans ended two shots behind Texas State's 39-over 891 as the Bobcats dropped from third to 11 with a 20-over 304 over the final 18 holes. Little Rock finished seven shots out of a top-10 finish behind Georgia State's 34-over 886.
Coastal Carolina cruised to the team lead at 7-under 845, 26 shots better than both UT Arlington and Georgia Southern's 19-over 871. The trio qualified for Wednesday's match play championship along with fourth-place South Alabama (22-over 878), finishing four shots better than fifth-place ULM's 26-over 878.
The effort wraps up the 2017-18 season for Little Rock, which finished with seven top-10 team finishes in a challenging schedule. As a team, the Trojans posted 41 round of par-or-better with five top-10 individual finishes, highlighted by the team championship at the 2017 Little Rock Invitational. The entire Trojan lineup has eligibility remaining as it turns it sights to the 2018-19 season.
2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship Final Results
#LittleRocksTeam
