SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – After ending round one tied for eighth among the 16-team field, Little Rock rallied over the final 36 holes to notch a tie for a runner-up finish at the 2023 Desert Mountain Collegiate. The Trojans ended its second tournament of the week with an 11-over 875, tied with host Michigan for a runner-up finish.
2023 Desert Mountain Collegiate Final Results (PDF)
Coming off the tournament title at Lake Las Vegas earlier in the week, Little Rock has now finished either first or second in five of its seven tournaments this season. Head-to-head, the Trojans boast an overall record of 84-10-2 so far in 2022-23, an .885 winning percentage.
The Trojan effort was led by a strong performance from
Matteo Cristoni, who finished second among the 93-player field with a 5-under 211, finishing par-or-better in all three rounds. Cristoni opened with a 3-under 69, followed by an even-par 72 in round two and closed with a 2-under 70 in round three for his fifth top-10, and fourth top-four, showing of the year. He now leads the Trojans with a 71.19 scoring average this season and 13 par-or-better rounds.
Cristoni was joined in the top-20 by
Archie Smith, who shot back-to-back 2-under 70s in round two and three to finish tied for 12th with a 3-over 219. It is the fourth top-20 finish for Smith this season as he now has 10 par-or-better rounds, putting his season scoring average at 72.27.
Magnus Lomholt finished just outside the top-20 as well, tying for 23rd with a 6-over 222 after ending round two with a 1-over 73 and a 5-over 77 in round three.
Jansen Smith tied for 48th with a 12-over 228 (76-75-77) with
Nico Horder rounding out the Little Rock scorecard at 13-over 229, highlighted by a 2-under 70.
After having round two suspended by darkness, the Trojans finished up the remaining seven holes this morning, jumping four spots to fourth behind a 3-under 285, the low score of the round. That effort was led by the 2-under 70s from both Archie and Horder and the even-par 72 from Cristoni.
The afternoon round saw higher scores across the board as the Trojans again remained solid, shooting a 6-over 294 as a team, the third-lowest score of the round, to slowly climb the standings and move into a tie with host Michigan for second. The Trojans and Wolverines finished nine shots back of 22nd-ranked Mississippi State, which took the team title with a 2-over 866.
As a team, the Trojans led the field in par four scoring at 18-over, averaging 4.12 strokes per hole, while finishing fourth on par-five holes at 9-under with a 4.85 average, and second overall in birdies with 52. Individually,
Jansen Smith led all players with 38 total pars while Cristoni's 15 total birdies was tied for fourth, as was his 6-under scoring on par-five holes. Cristoni and Lomholt both tied for third in par-four scoring at 1-under.
After playing two tournaments in the span of a week, Little Rock will have the rest of the week off before heading south to the bayou of Louisiana for the 2023 Louisiana Classics, being held March 13-14 at Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette.
2023 Desert Mountain Collegiate Little Rock Results
#LittleRocksTeam
