SAN ANTONIO — A strong final round propelled the St. Mary's University Men's Golf team to its second-straight tournament championship on Tuesday at the 2025 Rattler Invitational.
This is the first time since 2020 the Rattlers have won their home tournament and the sixth time in the 28-year history. The 855 ties for the fifth-lowest 54-hole total in history, while the 277 shot on Tuesday is the fourth-lowest single round and the second-lowest final round in the tournament.
After a tough time on holes four and five, the Rattlers regrouped and went on a tear through holes 7-through-11, posting a -14-par during the stretch. None of the five players recorded anything over par during those five holes with 12 birdies, an eagle and 12 pars, including the ninth hole, which all five birdied.
Junior
Kongpop Kaikaew (Rayong, Thailand) continued his stellar start to the spring, getting better by three strokes each round to finish tied for second with a six-under-par 210 (73-70-67). The 67 ties for the low round during the two days and he tied for the tournament lead in par-5 scoring, shooting eight-under for a 4.33 average. Kaikaew was also one of three athletes in the field to collect two eagles.
Junior
Baptiste Touchard (Saint-Agathon, France) recorded three rounds of par or better, finishing fifth overall with his total of 213 (71-72-70). He shot even par on par-3s to tie for the second-best average in the field and was second with 14 birdies in the 54 holes. This is the fourth time in six tournaments this season Touchard has placed in the top 10 in a tournament and is the second-straight of the spring as he tied for fifth last week at the Fujikura Invitational.
Freshman
Elijah Galvan (Austin, Texas) was one strike behind Touchard, finishing sixth with a 214 (72-73-69). His final round of 69 is one off his career low of 68 from the Ryan Palmer Invitational, and it is the second time he's fired a round in the 60s. Galvan posted five birdies in the final round, ending the two days with 11, as well as finishing tied for sixth in the field with an average of 4.00 on par-4 scoring.
In his first tournament of the spring, sophomore Philip Hallström (Gävle, Sweden) tied for 31st place, turning in a 224 (74-73-77), while transfer
Guillaume Paquette (La Minerve, Quebec) saved his best round for last, finishing tied for 45th at 227 (75-81-71).
A quartet of Rattlers also competed as individiuals and
Justin Hammett (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) tied for 62nd at 231 (81-74-76), while
Oscar Sandberg (Enkoping, Sweden) tied for 69th with a 233 (82-77-74), freshman Zachary Seader (Bulverde, Texas) tied for 80th with a 239 (80-83-76) and in his final Rattler Invitational, senior
Jose Maria Gallegos placed 85th after totaling 249 (86-80-83).
The Rattlers take next week off from competition, returning to the links on March 2-4 at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, hosted by Missouri-St. Louis at the Boulder Creek Golf Club.
The Rattler Invitational • February 17-18, 2025
The Dominion Country Club • San Antonio
Hosted by: St. Mary's
