SAUCIER, Miss. – The Louisiana Tech golf team hit a tough stretch on the final nine holes Tuesday, falling back two spots to finish ninth among a star-studded field at the Fallen Oak Golf Course as part of the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational.
 
LA Tech was holding steady in the middle of the 12-team pack, making the turn to the front nine with five of the six Bulldogs shooting 37 or better on the back.  However, too many big numbers resulted in the team shooting +14 in the third and final round, ending the tournament at 291-298-302=891 (+27).  
 
Senior Will Patrick was the only Bulldog in the red on Tuesday, storming out of the gates with four birdies in the seven holes to ultimately shoot 71 (-1) and finish tied 23rd at +4 (73-76-71=220) while playing as an individual.
 
The only LA Tech golfer to finish better on the player leaderboard was Hunter Battles who notched his first top-20 finish of the season, tying for 16th after shooting 70-73-74=217 (+1).  He had worked his way into the top five in the early portion of round three after being 2-under through the first six holes but ended up carding a 74 (+2).
 
Also shooting a 74 (+2) was freshman Niilo Maki-Petaja, ultimately tying for 35th at +8 (77-73-74=224).  Fellow freshman Jake Plumb also tied for 35th, shooting 74-74-76=224 (+8).
 
The fourth score used by the Bulldogs Tuesday was that of Lake Juban who shot 78 (+6). 
 
Auburn, the No. 2-ranked team in the country, ran away with the tournament win, outpacing the field by 19 strokes.  No. 3-ranked Ole Miss came in second while No. 10-ranked Mississippi State finished third.
 
NOTABLES

• LA Tech picked up victories over Iowa (126), Southern Miss (101), and UCF (130).
• Hunter Battles recorded his fourth career top-20 finish.
• Hunter Battles tallied 12 birdies in the tournament, tied for the second most in a single event this season by a Bulldog.
• Will Patrick was one of 18 players on Tuesday to shoot in the red for the final round (71 or better).
• Riley Hnatyshyn shot an average of 2.92 (-1) on the Par 3s, tied for the third best score in the tournament.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will close out the fall portion of its schedule on Oct. 28-29 when the Bulldogs take part in the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational hosted by the University of South Alabama.
 
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