In the final round of the Big 12 Championship, sophomore Julio Vegas played his worst round of this season and perhaps his career. One of the Longhorns’ top talents, Vegas started off bad and ended even worse. Seven bogeys and three double-bogeys later, he found himself at 26th on the leaderboard at 17-over. Not exactly the kind of round that wins championships.
It couldn’t have come at a more disastrous time for the Longhorns either. Entering the final day, Texas sat in third place behind Oklahoma State and Texas A&M and had a legitimate shot at the title. After Vegas’ implosion, the gap between the Longhorns and eventual champion OSU became insurmountable. The Cowboys were able to seal their record ninth Big 12 team title, and their very own Morgan Hoffmann claimed the individual crown, shooting even-par over four rounds. The Cowboys finished at 19-over, second-place Texas A&M came in at 32-over, and the Longhorns rounded out the top three at 40-over.
The rest of the Longhorns fared well on the final day and were the reason Texas did not slip on the team leaderboard.
Freshman Toni Hakula capped off the event at 9-over after recording seven birdies in the final round. Hakula remains consistent in his play and finished in a tie for seventh place individually.
Junior Dylan Frittelli finished at 10-over and tied for 11th.
Doing his best Vegas impression was senior Bobby Hudson, who also collected five bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys in the final round. The back nine in particular were an issue for the Longhorns, as the team compiled a total of 18 bogeys over the back nine in the final round. Despite his less than stellar round, Hudson finished at 14-over and in 19th place.
Sophomore Cody Gribble shot 5-over in his final round and finished in a tie for 20th place overall at 15-over.
The result may have very well been different had Vegas not taken a nosedive in the final round, but it is not the end of the road for Texas. The NCAA regional sites have yet to be determined, but play will begin May 19, and it is nearly assured the team will be selected after a high finish in its conference tournament.
