Sept. 15, 2015
Gopher Invitational Results 
INDEPENDENCE, Minn. (SMU) - SMU men's golf finished sixth overall, and Alex Higgs and Austin Smotherman placed inside the top-20 of the Gopher Invitational at the Windsong Farm Golf Club.
Higgs had a career best finish on the player leaderboard, as he ended up in a tie for 10th. The junior was steady throughout the tournament, shooting a three-over par or better in each round. Higg's best round came in the second, when he finished with an even-par 71.
Head coach Jason Enloe was pleased to see Higgs make great strides with his golf game at the Gopher Invitational.
"I am so proud of Alex Higgs as this was his best collegiate finish as a Mustang," Enloe said. "His hard work on the practice tee and in the weight room is really paying off."
Smotherman led the Mustangs in the final round, as he finished with a one-over par. It was the senior's best round of the tournament, as he had three birdies through his first ten holes.
Smotherman's final round raised him 10 spots to 17th on the player leaderboard from round two.
Senior Ryan Burgess had a low second round of two-over par and he led the Mustangs in overall birdies, with seven. Gray Townsend finished 13-over par for the tournament to round out team scoring.
The Mustangs were without 2015 NCAA Individual National Champion and U.S. Amateur Champion, Bryson DeChambeau, as he competed for the United States Walker Cup team. The Americans fell in the Walker Cup to Great Britain and Ireland, but DeChambeau had a good showing, going 2-0-1, including a 6 and 5 win over Gavin Moynihan.
Oklahoma finished in first place at the Gopher Invitational, carding a two-over par 854 for the tournament.
"I was disappointed in the results of the event, but it was our first event and I saw a lot of positives from the guys," Enloe said. "It is important to play well in the fall for rankings and seedings, but our coaches will make sure our team is playing its best golf come April."
The Mustangs will be back in action on Sept. 25 when they head to Burlington, Iowa to take part in the Golfweek Invitational. SMU finished in second place at the Golfweek Invitational in 2014.
"We will work on some things this week in practice then get right back after it next weekend in Iowa," Enloe said. "I expect our team will rebound nicely in our next event. These kids are prideful and very resilient."
