LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock defended its title at its annual home event, winning the 29th annual Little Rock Invitational at Chenal Country Club. The Trojans posted a 6-under 282 over the final 18 holes to distance themselves from the field, finishing at 18-under 846 and winning the event by a commanding 17 strokes.
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2021 Little Rock Invitational Final Results (PDF)
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Anton Albers also pulled away on day three as well, shooting a 5-under 67 to capture the individual title, the third of his Trojan career. He finished with a 13-under 203, the second-lowest individual tournament score in program history and the lowest vs. par score, besting the 11-under 202 set by Justin Warren at the 2018 Trinity Forest Invitational.
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The victory at Chenal marks Little Rock's 10th team title at its host event and the fourth since 2017. Albers becomes the sixth different Trojan golfer to win the individual title at Little Rock's annual event and the first since Zach Coats in 2017. The 203 shot by Albers is the second-lowest individual score in the tournament's history while the Trojans' team total of 846 is also the second-lowest at the event and tied for the sixth-lowest tournament total in program history.
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Entering Tuesday's final round with a five shot lead on Troy, the Trojans left little doubt as they were one of just two schools to post a round under par with the 6-under 282. Little Rock led the 14-team field in both par three (5-over) and par four scoring (7-over), while ranking second on par five holes at 23-under. The Trojans tallied 59 total birdies, the most of any team, with 166 pars, ranking second behind Oral Roberts' 168.
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Individually, Albers used his 5-under 67 to pull away from teammate
Magnus Lomholt, who finished second with a 10-under 206 after an even-par 72 in round three. The 206 from Lomholt is a new personal-best and is tied for the fifth-lowest individual round in program history, giving the Trojans an incredibly tough one-two punch.
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Jansen Smith also registered a top-20 individual finish, posting a 2-over 218 with an even-par 72 in round three.
Marcel Rauch shot a 1-under 71 on Tuesday, including a 4-under 32 on the back nine, tying for 23rd overall at 3-over 219.
Archie Smith rounded out the Little Rock competitors with a 7-over 223, posting a 1-over 73 over the final 18 holes.
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Albers was efficient over the course of the tournament on par-threes, leading the field at 4-under, while ranking tied for third in par-fives at 8-under. Lomholt matched Albers on the par-fives at 8-under and was tied for second on par-fours at 3-under. Albers' 16 birdies led the competitors, one better than Lomholt's 15, as
Jansen Smith was the top among the Trojans in total pars with 37, ranking fifth.
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Along with the official scorers, Little Rock fielded five individuals, which was led by
Hunter Walker's 4-over 220 following a final round 3-under 69, a new career-best round.
Nico Horder,
Max Brueckner and
Louis Talarczyk all finished at 12-over 228 while
Ryan McNelis carded a 13-over 229.
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Little Rock's closest competitor was Lamar, which was within four strokes of the Trojans at the turn, but finished at 1-under 863 following a final round 2-over 290. ULM was the only other team to finish under par on Tuesday, shooting a 2-under 286 to finish third at 2-over 866 with Boise State (3-over 867) and Troy (6-over 870) rounding out the top-five.
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The Trojans will have little time to celebrate the win, however, as they will now prepare for a trip to the Bahamas for the final tournament of the fall season where they will serve as the host school for the 2021 White Sands-Bahamas Little Rock Invitational. The tournament will be held Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31 at the Ocean Golf Course at Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas.
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2021 Little Rock Invitational Final Standings
 Players in italics competed as individuals
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