STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Following an unbelievable run that surged
Max Bengtsson to the top of the individual leaderboard in Mexico, the Western Athletic Conference announced Monday that he has been named the WAC October Men's Golfer of the Month.
This is the first WAC monthly award in program history, and the second of similarity, as
Jack Anderson was crowned the WAC Men's Golfer of the Week last season.
"Max has a very high ceiling and it was good for him to see that not every aspect in his game needs to be clicking in order for him to win," head coach Chance Cain said. "I expect more throughout his career as a Texan and this was a great experience to know what it takes to get there, along with how to finish it off. It's awesome for Max to receive this recognition along with being the first Texan to do so, and I hope there are many more to come."
Bengtsson played in one event last month, the Monterrey International Invitational on Oct. 27-28 at Club Campestre Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, hosted by George Washington. He was the medalist among the 62-man field, shooting -13 over the final two rounds to go -15 overall (70-66-65).
Bengtsson, a sophomore, won the tournament by one stroke, besting Utah State's Julio Arronte (-14) and three others at -13.
In Bengtsson's final round, between nine holes, Nos. 6-14, he turned in eight birdies to tie the lowest round in Texan Men's Golf history at 65 (-7). He had the most birdies in the tournament with 22, three more than the next closest, a major reason why Tarleton also finished first in birdies in the event, five more than the next closest programs of Loyola Maryland and North Dakota State. On Par 5's, Bengtsson was unstoppable, going -10 on the specific hole, a gross score average of 4.3. The Texans as a team were second in Par 5's at -31.
Bengtsson joined Anderson as the second medalist in Tarleton's short revived history.
The Texans finished third as a team at-26, bettering their previous season-best score to par by 53 strokes. They were just three strokes short of the winning team, Utah State.
Bengtsson and the Texans have a few months before tournament play ramps back up. With their fall schedule now concluded, they'll next compete at Rice's Bentwater Intercollegiate on Feb. 12-13 in Montgomery, Texas, at Bentwater Yacht and Country Club.
