Golf

A comeback for the ages

Trailing North Texas by 12 strokes entering the final round of play at the Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, the UH golf team improbably shot a 13-under-par 275 for its first outright 54-hole tournament victory since winning the Kansas Invitational in 2007.

In what was a team effort, all five starting Cougars shot at least one under par Tuesday, including junior Jesse Droemer’s five-under — the lowest amongst all players and a career low for Droemer.

Head coach Jonathan Dismuke has been waiting for this moment.

“We’ve talked about having a breakout round and running away with the rest of the field, and today was that round,” Dismuke said. “Anytime you can post the low score of the day by 13 shots in the final round, that’s a remarkable round of golf.”

The Cougars trailed by two strokes with a few holes remaining when sophomore Roman Robledo birdied his fourth consecutive hole to put UH within a single stroke. Then, on his final hole, junior Curtis Reed closed out his tournament with a birdie, putting UH in a tie with the Mean Green.

“We pay close attention to our finishing and how we play the last two or three holes. Golf always seems to come down to those last few holes, especially when you are playing well,” Dismuke said. “Roman and Curtis both came in with a strong finish. Everybody’s finish today was spectacular.”

After North Texas’ last player to finish the course bogeyed the final two holes, the Cougars sealed the victory.

Elsewhere for UH, junior Wesley McClain tied for 22nd with a total score of 222, and sophomore Kyle Pilgrim finished at 148 after competing in the first and third rounds.

“We have come a long way in a short time, especially when you consider that we finished last by eight shots at this tournament in 2009,” Dismuke said. “We still have a long way to go, but we are making great strides as our guys buy in and stay committed. And we receive the support from our University, our former players and the entire golfing community in the city of Houston.”

The Cougars will complete their fall-slate when they send individual golfers to compete at the Houston Baptist University Invitational on Oct. 22 to 23 at Quail Valley Golf Course in Missouri City. The site is also home to the last outright team championship in 2009.

“This was a great way to cap the fall season,” Dismuke said. “I am ecstatic about getting some offseason work in and being better for the spring.”

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