NMSU golf wins NB3 Matchplay men’s team title

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. –NM State returned Wednesday for the final round of the NB3 Matchplay event hosted by Notah Begay III at Twin Warriors Golf Club. On the second day of play, the Aggies were matched up against rival New Mexico.

Entering the day as the leader on the men’s side, the Aggies kept their foot on the gas pedal – taking four of the possible five points from the Lobos to ultimately clinch the men’s team title over Power Four programs Texas and Stanford and rival New Mexico.

Additionally, the women’s team earned two wins in their match against the Lobos to move their weekly point total to 3.5.

In the opening match of the day on the men’s side, Aidan Thomas birdied the second hole to immediately jump out to a one-hole lead after two holes. Later an eagle on the 12th and a biridie on the 13th put Thomas in the driver’s seat with a four-hole lead after 13 holes. He would then maintain steady play through the next two holes to walk away with the 4&3 victory.

Similarly, Emma Bunch, the No. 1 player on the women’s side, sent an early message – winning each of the first three holes. Bunch continued her strong day by winning the seventh hole and the 12th hole to set herself up for a commanding 4&3 win for the Aggies.

The third match of the day was contested between NM State’s Javier Delgadillo and UNM’s Carson Herron. Delgadillo continued his breakout week as he took command of the match just one hole in with an eagle on the first hole. Herron would eventually draw even with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, however, Delgadillo used five birdies across the final 10 holes to secure the 1UP win for the Aggies.

NM State’s dominant day would continue as Isa Laulhé rolled through her match against New Mexico’s Annie Saechueng – winning 6&4 to mark the most lopsided victory for any match during the NB3 Matchplay event.

A few holes behind Delgadillo and Laulhé, Ethan Klose would also turn in a one-sided victory as he picked up a 4&3 win over Clark Sonnenberg of New Mexico. This would come after falling behind on the first hole of the day as Klose’s birdie was one stroke off of Sonnenberg’s eagle on hole one. From there, Klose would earn wins on six of the next 12 holes to earn his second win of the week.

The fifth men’s match of the day would also fall in favor of the Aggies as Alexandre Bauduin claimed a 5&4 victory over UNM’s Wyatt Provence. Bauduin would take hold of the lead on the third hole and never look back. This included a stretch of three holes (10-12) in which he birdied each hole to take a five-hole lead that eventually held up.

With 10.5 points in hand following the conclusion of their match against the Lobos, the Aggie men sat exactly five points ahead of the Texas men who still had the chance to tie the match with a sweep of Stanford in the afternoon.

Eventually, the team title was hanging in the balance as the final match came down to the 18th hole. In need of a win to earn the win, Texas would come up a half-point short – launching the Aggies into celebration as they watched from behind the 18th green.

Match 3

Men | NM State 4, New Mexico 1

Aidan Thomas def. Mesa Falleur 4&3

Javier Delgadillo def. Carson Herron 1UP

Alvaro Portillo def. Vari Mariscal 2UP

Ethan Klose def. Clark Sonnenberg 4&3

Alexandre Bauduin def. Wyatt Provence 5&4

Women | NM State 2, New Mexico 3

Emma Bunch def. Maria Garcia 4&3

Isa Laulhé def. Annie Saechueng 6&4

Maria Capparrós Levin def. Marley Moncada 5&3

Chelsea Truong def. Emma Thompson 4&3

Rebecca Galasso def. Kaylee Chen 3&2

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.