Men's Golf 5/11/2015 9:48:00 AM

Dustdevils Close Up PGA Minority in Port St. Lucie

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The Texas A&M International University men's and women's golf teams completed play at the PGA Minority Golf Club on Sunday, finishing up their 2014-15 season with a successful time at the tournament.

While the men's tournament went shorter than planned (18 holes cut short) due to inclement weather, the TAMIU men's team performed spectacularly well, falling short by just one stroke overall, placing 2^nd behind Cal State Dominguez Hills. "The weather was more of a disappointment than our performance, especially because we will never have the closure of knowing how it truly would have finished. All week we just had a feeling this was our year, after taking second both times in previous years. We were only behind by one after the second round and we knew it was neck and neck at the moment that the delay horn blasted. So I'm proud of their 12 stoke gain in round two that put them in position to go for a win, but we will probably feel this one for a long time, it's just so heartbreaking," said head coach Becca Foster.

Sophomore Stevie Martinez was awarded the Division II individual champion for his stunning performance throughout the tournament. "He takes home the best individual score, so we are all very happy for him. He was leading us to a victory for sure." Martinez carded a 146 over the two rounds played, posting a 75 on the first round, and 71 on the second.

Right behind Martinez, was junior Sammie Goldfarb III who carded a 151 (77-74). Senior Rogelio Andres Jimenez carded a 156 (78-78), breaking even on each round. Senior Andres Aranguren and junior Zach Jackson both improved from round one, as they each shaved five strokes on the second round, carding a 159 (82-77) and 161 (83-78), respectively.

On the women's side, the team finished 7^th out of nine places with a team total of 1001 (344-323-334), shaving 21 strokes on the second round of play. Sophomore Begoña Aranguren led the team with an overall 228 (80-77-71), recording the second-lowest score on the final round of a 71. Right behind Aranguren, sophomore Sasha Linauskas carded a 245 (84-77-84) for the team's second lowest score. Senior Abigail Palacios recorded a 263 (88-86-89), freshman Hannah Jiao recorded a 265 (92-83-90), and senior Amber Lopez recorded a total of a 287 (97-96-94).

The women improved their score from last year, and Begona had a great finish to her TAMIU career. The team shaved 21 strokes after day 1 which was a total team effort," said head coach, Becca Foster.

"I'm thankful for everyone who supported us on this trip, we cannot attend this championship without the generosity of our community. This is a world-class event and the experience of competing on this stage is very special."

Courtesy of PGA Golf:

Please click on the link below to access photos from the final round of the 29^th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship:
http://mediaarchive.pgalinks.com/cgi/viewerlogin.pl?lbjobid=13304

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (May 10, 2015) – Bethune-Cookman University raised the bar it has set in women's golf by earning a record 12^th title, while Alabama State University's men's quintet captured its first team crown Sunday in the 29^th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship at PGA Golf Club.

Bethune-Cookman, behind senior Jennifer Hide's closing 2-under-par 70, recorded an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship by a 33-stroke margin over the University of Houston-Victoria. The Wildcats finished their three days' work on the Ryder Course with a total of 880.

"It never gets old to win the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship," said Bethune-Cookman Head Coach and PGA Professional Loritz "Scooter" Clark. "I was glad that we had a little bit of a comfortable lead for once. We'll celebrate today and look to hopefully repeat next year."

Hide, a 21-year-old senior from Norfolk, England, had a 70, and 3-over-par 219 total, to lead the Wildcats.

"We work for this tournament throughout the year, and when we get here, we know that we have made the right preparations," said Hide. "I really liked this course; it's my favorite course to play."

Alabama State entered the Division I men's final round with a 14-stroke cushion over Florida A&M University, and finished at 893, seven strokes better than University of Incarnate Word of San Antonio, Texas. Tennessee State was third at 910, followed by Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M, which tied for fourth at 912.

The Hornets were led by Canadians Branson Ferrier, the Division I medalist, and Francis Bethiaume. Ferrier posted a 2-under-par 70 that included six birdies and two double bogeys, for a 54-hole total of 10-under-par 206. Berthiaume, a junior from Montreal, closed with a 71 for insurance, while teammates Andrei Collins of Trinidad-Tobago (80) and Jose Rodriguez of Puerto Rico (80) struggled coming in.

"It feels great after being here several years and being so close before, with some seconds and thirds, to finally win," said Alabama State Assistant Head Coach Robert Clark. "As a PGA Professional, this means a lot for our program, for our kids and for our school.

"Branson is a very good player. He has aspirations of playing on the PGA Tour one day, and if he continues to work at his golf maturity, I think he will get there."

University of Houston-Victoria sophomore Heather Shake of Pearland, Texas, fired a 67 to finish at 4-under-par 212 to claim her second-consecutive Division I medalist honor. The 20-year-old earned a berth in next week's Symetra Tour's Mission Health Wellness Classic at the Country Club of Asheville in North Carolina.

"It's really cool to win here again," said Shake. "Before I came here, I was struggling with striking the ball but something just clicked, and I finally got to throwing darts. I had problems putting yesterday, but thankfully, I got it back. I love this golf course; it sets up perfect for my game."

Alabama State's national champions traveled 10½ hours by bus from the campus in Montgomery, Alabama, to PGA Golf Club. "I had a birthday on the way down," joked Clark. "Well, it felt like a birthday, because it was a long ride. Our expectations were high this week after having basically the same group last year."

Cal State Dominguez Hills (Division II) and University of Texas at Brownsville (NAIA), the respective 36-hole division leaders, were declared champions when inclement weather forced a suspension of play at 2:51 p.m. Championship officials determined that both divisions would not have been able to complete their final rounds.

Cal State Dominguez Hills of Carson, California, had a 611 total, one stroke better than Texas A&M International.

The University of Texas at Brownsville had cruised to a 31-stroke lead over University of Houston-Victoria after two rounds, with a 4-under-par 580 total.

Tiana Jones, now a freshman in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's PGA Professional Golf Management University Program, turned in a 72 and 223 total for a second straight Women's Individual Invitational title. Last year, she was victorious while playing for South Carolina State University.

"I want to play on the LPGA Tour, and also want to own my own academy and build my own golf course, and give back to the community," said Jones. "I want to see more African-Americans in golf."

Cathleen Wong of Florida Gulf Coast University and Grace Chua of the University of Delaware shared runner-up at 225.

LeMoyne-Owen College senior Dominique Worthen of Flint, Michigan, captured the Men's Individual Invitational after a long journey. He lost a 2013 playoff while attending Texas Southern University, then was third last year. He held on Sunday for a 74 and 217 total, defeating Siyan Liu, a Palm Beach Atlantic University freshman from Beijing, China, by two strokes.

"It was tough for me today, but I knew if I could hit good drives, I could win," said Worthen, who had a two-putt par on No. 18. "I borrowed my dad's driver after the first round, and it feels good to win."

The Championship featured 220 players representing 50 colleges and universities, 12 countries and two U.S. territories.

The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship has elevated golf in minority colleges and universities by providing opportunities for players to compete in a national championship. In 2006, the PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management by the National Minority Collegiate Golf Scholarship Fund.

For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.org, follow @PGAofAmerica on Twitter and Instagram, and find us on Facebook. Join the conversation about the 29th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship on Twitter at #MinorityChamp.

Final Summary

Men's Team Division I

1. Alabama State--301-291-301—893
Branson Ferrier             66-70-70—206
Francis Berthiaume       79-77-71—227
Andrei Collins                77-73-80—230
Ian Mmbando                79-75-83—237
Jose Rodriguez              86-73-80—239

2. University of the Incarnate Word--310-300-290—900
Austin Wylie                  74-78-69—221
Kevin Smith                   76-76-75—227
Christopher Martinez     83-73-74—230
Myles Dumont               77-75-79—231
Pedro Martinez              87-76-72—235

3. Tennessee State--308-305-297—910
Todd McGill                   77-74-70—221
Andy Stout                    73-74-77—224
Jermey Fultz                 79-76-76—231
Matthew Campbell        79-81-74—234
Dallas Hill                     84-82-83—249

T4 Bethune-Cookman--307-310-295—912
Ian Clark                       74-77-73—224
Leon Fricker                  76-79-75—230
Daniel Kovari                78-76-76—230
Jackson Kneeshaw        79-78-74—231
Alvaro Ramirez             84-79-73—236

T4 Florida A&M--299-307-306—912
Kevin Parker                  76-75-71—222
LyRon Henderson           70-79-80—229
Omari Whitmore            78-76-82—236
Dennis Minefee             75-86-77—238
Anthony Phipps             84-77-78—239

T6 Chicago State--322-300-302—924
Dan Patkunas                81-70-76—227
Austin Egbers               78-75-74—227
David Keenan                78-77-76—231
Drew Vannoy                85-78-76—239
Miles Bailey                   88-91-79—258

7. North Carolina Central--322-311-291—924
Sumner Tate                 81-77-71—229
Zane Lewis                   82-76-74—232
Jordan Bohannon           82-78-72—232
Garreth Carpenter         78-84-74—236
Michael Wilson              81-80-82—243

8. Savannah State--313-308-315—936
Brandon Neals               74-79-73—226
Hayden Barrows            85-81-75—241
Scott Rogers                 89-78-76—243
Riley Keagle                  80-84-91—255
Travis Roe                    74-70-NC—NC

9. University of Maryland Eastern Shore--312-317-311—940
Bryce Young                  74-80-74—228
Norman Blanco              76-82-71—229
Demarkis Cooper           79-72-87—238
Timothy Mitchell            83-83-79—245

10. Texas Southern--319-318-308—945
Renior Knox                  76-82-71—229
Jarett Croff                   82-79-76—237
Thomas McLaughlin       84-76-79—239
Blake Lolato                  81-81-82—244
Connor Mathers             80-92-86—258

11. Hampton--333-331-338—1002
Toiriste O'Neal              81-77-83—241
Kenneth Gaither            81-84-82—247
Dawson Hobbs              86-87-83—256
Arthur Davis                 91-96-90—277
JeVon Bell                     85-83-NC—NC

12. Prairie View A&M--354-329-320—1003
John Jones                    91-78-75—244
Gabriel Hernandez         82-82-82—246
Jason Hudson                92-83-77—252
Harold Carter III           89-86-86—261
Vlryn Veal                     95-87-89--271

Women's Team Division

1.       Bethune-Cookman--295-294-290--879
Jennifer Hide                 78-71-70—219
Andrea Orozco              73-75-73—221
Patrizia Trevisan           73-74-74—221
Alice Plumb                   77-74-73—224
Mackenzie Butzer          72-78-75—225

2.       Houston-Victoria--303-310-300--913
Heather Shake              67-78-67—212
Rebecca Benchot          77-77-75—229
Brooke Brasseaux          81-78-78—237
Shelbi Vincent               80-77-80—237
Hayley Harris                79-83-81—243

3.       Delaware State--312-313-307—932
Elaine Peete                  74-73-79—226
Suchada Anusuriya        76-80-71—227
Samyra Lewis                82-76-83—241
Brooke Foster               81-84-78—243
Ireanna Peete               81-86-79--246

4.       Texas Southern--315-310-309—934
Kassandra Rivera          73-73-69—215
Cherie Chua                  79-76-76—231
Allison Flores                82-77-82—241
Carmen Gonzales          81-84-82—247
Jalyn Kuykendall            87-95-92—274

5.       Chicago State--317-320-322—959
Fernanda Valdes Solis    75-77-73—225
Talialaina Letoi              77-80-85—242
Taneka Sandiford          83-81-79—243
Pia Serrano                   82-82-86—250
TiAnna Ford                  86-107-85--278

6.       Hampton--314-323-325—962
Cheryl Chua                  71-76-75—222
Britney Smith                79-76-74—229
Zora Moore                   77-82-81—240
Milan James                  90-89-95—274
Treliah Samuels            87-91-96--274

7.       Texas A&M International--344-323-334—1001
Begona Aranguren         80-77-71—228
Sasha Linauskas            84-77-84—245
Abigail Palacios             88-86-89—263
Hannah Jiao                  92-83-90—265
Amber Lopez                 97-96-94--287

8.       Texas at Brownsville--345-330-335—1010
Veronika Vasquez          82-77-80—239
Deanna Portillo             82-81-86—249
Angela Zepeda              86-82-89—257
Leanna Saenz                95-90-80—265

9.       Lincoln--352-367-371—1090
Sophia Pardalos             82-86-83—251
Mackenzie Wilson          84-92-93—269
Lauren McHenry            86-94-94—274
Hanna Berendzen          100-95-101—296

Women's Individual Invitational

1. Tiana Jones, University of Maryland Eastern Shore                  73-78-72--223
T2 Cathleen Wong, Florida Gulf Coast University                         72-78-75--225
T2 Grace Chua, University of Delaware                                       73-75-77--225
4. Adriana Trevino, Texas Southern University                            82-72-79--233
5. Rachele Orme, Savannah State University                               75-81-78--234
6. Hillary Washington, Texas Southern University                        82-81-79--242
7. Sydney Woolfolk, Savannah State University                            80-84-81--245
8. Sierra Everson, University of Akron                                         87-85-76--248
9. Jocelyn Williams, Savannah State University                           84-89-84--257
10. Iyana Monagan, Delaware State University                           88-89-85--262
11. Taylor Schwarz, Northern Kentucky University                       96-87-89--272
12. Briana Trevino, Texas Southern University                           100-84-91--275

Men's Team Division II*

1. Cal State Dominguez Hills--307-304—611
Bret Gleason 76-74—150
Ryan Saldana 78-73—151
Brantly Blew 80-76—156
Shane Kowal 77-81—158
Cameron MacDonald 75-83—158

2. Texas A&M International--312-300—612
Steven Martinez 75-71—146
Sammie Goldfarb III 77-74—151
Rogelio Jimenez 78-78—156
Andres Aranguren 82-77—159
Zachary Jackson 83-78—161

3. Livingstone College--308-320—628
Phillip Harrison 71-77—148
Telvin Walker 77-82—159
Harry Standberry 79-81—160
Lennoris Williams 81-80—161
Stephen Washington 81-82—163

4. Lincoln--319-320—639
Blake Lammers 71-75—146
Cody Shaw 82-78—160
Austin Ruediger 81-80—161
Drew Geritz 85-87—172

5. Fayetteville State--317-330—647
Jared Chinn 72-77—149
Brandon Jobe 75-77—152
Christopher Jackson 81-79—160
Cameron Hughes 89-97—186
Corbin Rascoe NC-NC—NC

6. Benedict College--333-315—648
Kelly Allen 76-78—154
Rajai Cousley 84-75—159
Eddie Smith 83-83—166
Marques Edwards 90-79—169
Rhalston Jones 90-84—174

7. Morehouse College--320-332—652
Justin McElderry 81-80—161
Tommy Swearingen 81-81—162
Harvey Allen 79-83—162
Anthony Body 79-88—167
Caleb May 88-90—178

8. Miles College--352-332—684
Jacob McCurry 79-72—151
Vitthal Parker 83-87—170
Khaliq Dansby 89-86—175
Michael Fegan 101-87—188
Marcel Pickett 122-122—244

9. LeMoyne-Owen College--436-514—950
Darryl Lewis 101-98—199
Anthony Smith 95-107—202
Kemario Davis 115-158—273
Kevon Eskridge 125-151—276
Christian Coburn NC-NC—NC
*- reduced to 36 holes due to inclement weather

Men's Team NAIA*

1. Texas at Brownsville--285-295—580
Saad Milan 71-73—144
Angel Aguirre 71-73—144
Gage Murphy 70-75—145
Justin Kitten 73-76—149
Stevan Hinojosa76-74—150

2. Houston-Victoria--300-311—611
Vance Edwards 70-74—144
Will Hicks 73-82—155
Steven Jones 80-76—156
Cristian Esparza 77-79—156
Jake Truss NC-82—NC

3. Edward Waters College--315-306—621
Guido Vidotto 75-73—148
Bartosh Kaminski 77-79—156
Alvin Vicioso 82-75—157
Robel Woldagriel 81-79—160

4. Haskell Indian Nations--316-324—640
William Wilson 74-78—152
Deryk Speck 82-80—162
Josiah Kurley 78-84—162
Joshua Little Axe 82-86—168
Trevor Pueblo 87-82—169
(*Reduced to 36 holes due to inclement weather)

Men's Individual Invitational

1 Dominique Worthen, LeMoyne-Owen College                           76-67-74—217
2 Siyan Liu, Palm Beach Atlantic University                                 76-69-74—219
3 Nqobani Ndabambi, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff           75-79-71—225
T4 Benjarong Murray, Palm Beach Atlantic University                72-79-76—227
T4 Matthew Chen, Florida Gulf Coast University                         77-77-73—227
6 Will Smart II, Alabama A&M                                                 76-76-76—228
T7 Danny De Los Santos, Mississippi Gulf Coast                        76-73-80—229
T7 John Hulede, Towson University                                            77-80-72--229
T7 Joseph Stills, University of West Florida                                 76-77-76--229
T7 William Wells, Texas Southern University                              81-71-77--229
T11 Victor Choi, Clemson University                                           75-83-73--231
T11 Luther Thompson II, Meridian Community College                83-74-76--233
13 William White, Elizabeth City State University                        87-74-74--235
14 William Godfrey, Francis Marion University                             78-79-80--237
T15 Gavin Parker, Campbell University                                       78-77-84--239
T15 Martre Lind, Texas Southern University                                81-81-77--239
T17 Curtis Vinson, Elizabeth City State University                       79-84-82--245
T17 Josiah Brown, Texas Southern University                             83-80-82--245
T19 Jahmar Seltzer, Allegany College of Maryland                       85-79-82--246
T19 Matthew Dismuke, Universlty of Arkansas at Pine Bluff         82-81-83--246
21 Taylor Nelson, Virginia Union University                                 77-83-88--248
T22 Daniel Castano, Methodist University                                   88-82-85--255
T22 Robert Calvin Mason, Johnson C. Smith University                92-84-79--255
24 Brencis Stanford, Johnson C. Smith University                        86-85-85--256
25 Michael Harden, Clemson University                                      89-88-80--257
T26 Joshua Steger, Johnson C. Smith University                          89-83-86--258
T26 Luis Colon, Texas Southern University                                  86-80-92--258
T28 Dominique Johnson, Allegany College Of Maryland                84-84-91--259
T28 Josiah Singletary, Methodist University                                 88-87-84--259
30 Jordan Hall, Methodist University                                           88-90-83--261
31 Johanan Edmeade, Johnson C. Smith University                      89-90-85--264
32 Brandon Bolling, Lewis University                                          89-95-85--269
33 Brandon Bailey, Virginia Union University                                95-92-94--281
34 Eddie Crawford, Methodist University                                     105-96-91--292
Charles Griffin, Alabama State University                                    77-77-NC--NC
Kevin Lim, University of Nevada, Las Vegas                                 81-76-NC--NC
Kijontray McClay, University of Maryland Eastern Shore               86-86-NC--NC
Marquis Usher, University of Maryland Eastern Shore                   85-96-NC--NC
Nivel Felicien, University of Maryland Eastern Shore                     93-79-NC--NC
Patrick Harris, University of Maryland Eastern Shore                     87-87-NC--NC
Phil Soo Kim, University of Nevada, Las Vegas                              75-79-NC--NC

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Players Mentioned

Begoña Aranguren: Sophomore

Sasha Linauskas: Sophomore

Amber Lopez: Senior

Abigail Palacios: Senior

Hannah Jiao: Freshman

Andres Aranguren: Senior

Sammie Goldfarb III: Junior

Zach Jackson: Junior

Stevie Martinez: Sophomore

Rogelio Andres Jimenez: Senior

Players Mentioned

Begoña Aranguren
: Sophomore

Sasha Linauskas
: Sophomore

Amber Lopez
: Senior

Abigail Palacios
: Senior

Hannah Jiao
: Freshman

Andres Aranguren
: Senior

Sammie Goldfarb III
: Junior

Zach Jackson
: Junior

Stevie Martinez
: Sophomore

Rogelio Andres Jimenez
: Senior