By KYLE ROBERTS

Sports Writer

Tech's golf team struggled in the Western Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships this past weekend at the San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif., by shooting a 65-over total and finishing last place in the three-round tournament.

"From top to bottom, we didn't play our best at all," golf head coach Tom Stinson said. "We just had an off tournament, but even so, it was great experience for the guys."

The Bulldogs started off by shooting their worst round of the tourney with a 311 (+27) on Monday but improved in the two remaining rounds with scores of 302 (+18) and 301 (+17), respectively.

Southern Methodist University took the WAC Championship with a total score of 865 (+1).

"The championship proved how hard of a golf conference the WAC is," Stinson said.

"There are four teams in the top 50 in the country right now, and the depth of the WAC is very strong."

Sophomore Derek Busby recorded Tech's best individual score with a 226 (+13) and tied for 35th place in the tournament.

Sophomore Logan Reister followed with a 227 (+14), while Chad Carter added a 231 (+18), and freshman Preston Smith finished with a 235 (+22).

Senior Sean Knox chipped in with 236 (+23) to round things out for the Bulldogs.

After the tournament, coach Stinson said he is looking forward to next year.

"We're a young team," Stinson said. "We played with a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and we're also looking forward to hosting the WAC Championships next season. We got some new people coming in that we're excited about, and with another year's experience, we're going to get much better."