WKU’s Men’s Golf ended its season tied for 11th place in the Conference USA Golf Championships in Texarkana, Texas.

“It’s unreal how fast these years go by,” WKU head coach Chan Metts said in a press release. “The guys work hard all year and gave us everything they had this week. I can’t thank them enough for that, and I’m so proud of how hard they fought. It was awesome having coach [Adam] Gary with us for the championship. He was such a great addition on the course, in the van and everywhere. That was a great experience for the guys as well, to have an extra coach out there with us.”

First Round

The tournament started on Monday evening at the Texarkana Country Club after multiple hours of weather delay. The Hilltoppers finished in 10th on day one, hitting a 8-over 296. 

Junior Luke Fuller tied for 17th, shooting the lowest score of the day for the Hilltoppers at even-par 72. Overall, he had 15 pars, an eagle and two bogeys. Sophomore Connery Meyer came out strong with two birdies on the front nine, finishing with a 2-over 74 and tying for 31st.  

Both fifth-year senior Caleb O’Toole and redshirt junior Thomas Hogan turned in 3-over 75’s. This was freshman Riley Grindstaff’s first-ever collegiate round in a conference championship and he scored a 5-over 77.

Second Round

Hogan was the stand-out star Tuesday for the Hilltoppers on day two of the tournament. He tied for 27th place after shooting a 1-under 71 and logging four birdies. 

Meyer also tied for 27th after he shot an even-par 72 and improved his score by two shots from round one. Meyer and Hogan were two shots away from a top-20 finish.

O’Toole shot a 4-over 76 and sat at 46th place while  Fuller tied for 43rd, shooting 6-over 78. Grindstaff also shot 6-over 78, finishing in the 60th spot.

WKU wrapped up day two of the tournament in 11th place with a 9-over 297. 

Final Round

The Hilltoppers shot 10-298 for the final round on Wednesday afternoon. 

O’Toole took charge, shooting 1-over 73. This was his last round of golf as a collegiate athlete, finishing up three years at WKU. He tied for 42nd on the leaderboard. 

Hogan had the best finish for the Hilltoppers on the day. He shot 2-over 74 and finished at 4-over 220, tying for 26th place. Meyer shot a 5-over 77 and tied for 39th overall.

Fuller ended his final round with a 3-over 75 and Grindstaff finished with a 4-over 76. They finished tied for 46th and 57th, respectively. 

“It’s always sad to say goodbye to seniors and we will miss Caleb [O’Toole] and Jack [Poole] so much,” Metts said. “They have done everything the Hilltopper way and have left the program in a better place than they found it and for that I could never be prouder of them.”

Sports Reporter Izzy Lanuza can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @izzylanuza.