Back nine troubles spoil Trojans’ shot

About 21/2 hours after teeing off Wednesday, the University of Arkansas-Little Rock men’s golf team had made up the 11 shots it needed to move into a qualifying spot for next week’s NCAA Championship.

But for a third consecutive day, the Trojans were bitten by the back nine.

UALR shot 10-over par on Nos. 10-18 at PGA National during the third round, carding a 4-over 292 on the day to end the Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Regional in sixth place at 25-over. The Trojans topped the likes of Purdue and Notre Dame, yet finished 11 shots behind College of Charleston, which grabbed the fifth and final bid to nationals at 14-over.

Vanderbilt topped the field at 20-under, followed by Florida State, Florida and South Florida.

“We didn’t have our best stuff this week but we went down swinging,” UALR Coach Jake Harrington said. “We came out [hard] that front side. … That tells you the fight our players had.”

Harrington subbed out Nico Horder and slotted true freshman Archie Smith into the lineup. Although Smith ended the day at 5-over 77 with three double bogeys, he was part of a fivesome that went bogey-free over the opening six holes with nine combined birdies.

Anton Albers — who along with Magnus Lomholt led the Trojans with a final score of 4-over 220 for the week — birdied three of his first four holes.

Although UALR couldn’t keep pace on the final nine holes, posting five double bogeys as a team, senior Marcel Rauch turned in his best round of the week. The senior had three birdies and just a lone double bogey on No. 15 to end the day at 1-under 71, tied for the Trojans’ best single round in South Florida.

On a day when UALR was unable to achieve its team goal, Rauch’s effort was a consolation prize — particularly since he’s the only Trojan who won’t be back in the fall.

“He’s been everything a coach wants in a player,” Harrington said of Rauch. “For him to do that in his final college event, nothing makes me happier.”