ROCKWALL, Texas — St. Mary's University's
Philip Hallström and
Kongpop Kaikaew both finished in the top 10 to help the Rattlers to their highest-ever finish in stroke play at the Lone Star Conference Championship Tuesday at the Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club.
StMU shot rounds of 288, 286 and 300 for a 10-over-par 874 to finish three strokes behind No. 8 Oklahoma Christian (291-285-295=871/+7) for the team's best finish in the five years in the Lone Star (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to Covid-19). The previous high for the No. 15 Rattlers was a tie for sixth place at the 2022 tournament.
DBU placed third in stroke play with an 882 (295-293-294) and will square off with the Rattlers in medal match play at 8 a.m. Wednesday, while Midwestern State climbed two spots on the leaderboard to finish fourth (298-301-293=892) and will take on Oklahoma Christian in the other semifinal.
Hallström, a sophomore from Gävle, Sweden, was one of only three golfers to end the tournament under par, totaling 215 (71-68-76) for the three rounds to come in at one-under. It is the highest-ever finish for Hallström and is one shot of his career-best 54-hole total of 214 from last year at the RJGA Palm Valley Shootout. His previous highest finish was tied for eighth last week at the Battle at Riverhill.
He finished one stroke behind individual medalist Leandro Mihaich from Oklahoma Christian, who is the tenth-ranked golfer in Division II. DBU's Samuel Jenkins also entered the clubhouse at one-under, tying Hallström for second place.
Kaikaew, a junior from Rayong, Thailand, tied for eighth place with his three-round total of 219 (72-72-75/+3). It is the fifth time this year he's placed inside the top 10. Kaikaew ended the tournament second in the field in par-5 scoring, shooting six-under on the long holes.
Junior
Baptiste Touchard (Saint-Agathon, France) tied for 15th place, carding a three-round total of 222 (72-74-76/+6). Touchard led the 56-player field with 41 pars, and was second in par-4 scoring behind Hallström with a one-over.
The two freshmen flipped places over the final 18 holes.
Elijah Galvan (Austin, Texas), the LSC Freshman of the Year, ended tied for 24th place, shooting a team-best round of 73 on Tuesday. He collected 226 shots (81-72-73/+10) for the tournament, recording the Rattlers' only eagle on the 18th hole.
Guillaume Paquette (La Minerve, Quebec) tied for 28th overall after totaling 228 strokes (73-74-81/+12). Paquette, the final LSC Golfer of the Week for the 2025 season and an honorable mention All-Conference selection led the tournament with a two-under on par-3 scoring.
Lone Star Conference Championship • April 14, 2025
Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club • Rockwall, Texas
