When senior Ian Medlock found out he would be playing on the junior varsity squad in the William H. Tucker Invitational, he set a goal for himself: to win his last home tournament as a Lobo.
With scores of 72-69-70-211 on the ultra-demanding, windswept UNM Championship Course Sept. 12 and 13, that's exactly what he did.
"I definitely had something to prove this week," Medlock said. "This lets me know that I can do it anytime. It feels good. Really good."
After seven Lobos, including Medlock, broke par in a three-round pre-tournament qualifier, deciding whom to include on the varsity team was "very, very difficult," head coach Glen Millican said.
"It really was a toss-up this week," Millican said. "Unfortunately, we only have five spots (on the varsity roster). But I think this is a sign of how deep we are early on. It's actually great to have a guy you didn't put on your first team win. I couldn't be more proud of a guy. You love to see this happen to a senior."
The senior credited a hot putter and great concentration for the victory.
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Without the benefit of Medlock's stellar play, the Lobos varsity team came within a hair's width of winning the Tucker for the third straight year - a feat never accomplished in the tournament's 48-year history.
Rounds of 291-287-289-867 left UNM 3-over-par and a miniscule two shots behind the Arizona State University Sundevils. The UNM JV team finished 13th at 894.
For the Lobos, Saturday's final round was a tale of near misses and a comeback that almost was.
Starting the day 10 shots behind ASU, the Lobos had cut the margin in half by the time afternoon winds began to wreak havoc with balls in flight, midway through the back nine. With two holes to go, the deficit was down to two.
Junior Jay Reynolds, who played his first seven holes in 2-over-par before making four birdies around the turn to battle back, personified UNM's hard-luck day.
Reynolds had two crucial lip-outs down the stretch: one from 30 feet at the 17th for par and another from four feet at 18 for birdie.
"I don't think I've ever hit the hole more times and just had none of them drop," he said after the round.
Adding insult to injury, Sundevil Ben Flam, who was playing with Reynolds, sank putts from 35 and 25 feet on the final two holes.
Reynolds finished tied for eighth at 216.
Leading the way for the Lobo varsity squad was junior Madalitso Muthiya, who finished in a fourth-place tie with rounds of 70-71-74-215.
Despite an up-and-down week that saw Muthiya go from 7-under to 3-under in a four-hole stretch late Friday, he said the good finish gives him confidence for the remainder of the year.
"My freshman year I finished (the Tucker) tied 24th," Muthiya said. "My sophomore year I was 12th. And this year I'm fourth. That's improvement."
Sophomore Jae Choi and freshman Charlie Beljan were next best for the Lobos, each shooting 219s to finish tied for 17th.
Despite a hand injury suffered on the fifth hole of his college career Friday morning, Beljan had a solid week that included the varsity's best final round, a 1-under-par 71.
"I give myself an A for the week," Beljan said. "Especially today, being in one of the leader groups and coming through with a solid round. It was really exciting and I look forward to many more tournaments."
Junior transfer Miguel Griego finished tied for 50th at 225.
As for Medlock's win, his teammates weren't surprised.
"Here's a guy who hits it 350 off the tee and straight up in the air with his irons," Reynolds said. "He's a great player."
Choi agreed.
"He has such an advantage over all of us on this course because of his style of play," he said.
Millican said Medlock's spot in the lineup is quite secure for next week's tournament in Toledo, Ohio.
"He can go ahead and tell his professors that he'll be leaving on Wednesday," Millican said.
