WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's golf team is in third of a loaded 17-team field after completing the first day of the JT Poston Invitational, hosted by Western Carolina (WCU), on Sunday at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club.
The Vaqueros posted a first-round score of 274, which is 10-under-par, and trail only power conference schools Virginia Tech (272) and NC State (273). Rounding out the top 10 at the invitational are South Carolina (277), Lipscomb (278), Southern Mississippi (278), Elon (279), Wisconsin (279), Kennesaw State (280), and Western Carolina (283).
UTRGV's first-round score of 274 is tied for third in program history for the team score in a single round, trailing only the second-round score of 272 at the JT Poston Invitational in 2025 and the first-round score of 272 at the Border Olympics in 2019.
Senior McAllen Memorial alum
Esteban Gonzalez (66), junior
Gabriel Dulon Villoslada (67), and freshman
Javier Domingo Calvo (68) also entered the record book, ranking tied for eighth, tied for 20th and tied for 44th, respectively, for lowest individual single-round scores.
Four of the 16 programs represented in the field qualified for the 2026 NCAA Regionals, including UTRGV, NC State, South Carolina, and Southern Mississippi. Kennesaw State, Middle Tennessee, and Western Carolina also sent individual qualifiers to NCAA Regionals.
Gonzalez leads the Vaqueros and is tied for third in the tournament after shooting a career-best five-under 66 in the first round. Gonzalez played bogey-free golf across the first 18 holes and is just three shots shy of the tournament leader,
Benjamin Baker from Virginia Tech.
Villoslada finished the day four-under-par and tied for eighth, while Domingo Calvo sits one shot back in a tie for 12th. Both Villoslada and Domingo Calvo recorded an eagle in round one.
Rounding out the scoring for the Vaqueros is sophomore
Brock Porter who shot two-over-par, finishing the day tied for 67
th in the 100-person field. Porter recorded two birdies on the day.
Senior
Eddie Lai and freshman
Pelayo Fernandez Mortera both finished the round three-over-par in a tie for 75
th. Lai was the fifth man on the UTRGV team while Fernandez Mortera is competing as an individual.
The Vaqueros will continue their run at the JT Poston Invitational with the second round on Monday. Fans can follow along through live scoring
here.
Results
*playing as an individual
| Place |
Team |
Rd 1 |
Rd 2 |
Rd 3 |
Total |
| 1. |
Virginia Tech |
272 |
- |
- |
272 |
| 2. |
NC State |
273 |
- |
- |
273 |
| 3. |
UTRGV |
274 |
- |
- |
274 |
| 4. |
South Carolina |
277 |
- |
- |
277 |
| T-5. |
Lipscomb |
278 |
- |
- |
278 |
| T-5. |
Southern Mississippi |
278 |
- |
- |
278 |
| T-7. |
Wisconsin |
279 |
- |
- |
279 |
| T-7. |
Elon |
279 |
- |
- |
279 |
| 9. |
Kennesaw State |
280 |
- |
- |
280 |
| 10. |
Western Carolina |
283 |
- |
- |
283 |
| T-11. |
Drexel |
285 |
- |
- |
285 |
| T-11. |
Wofford |
285 |
- |
- |
285 |
| T-13. |
Middle Tennessee |
286 |
- |
- |
286 |
| T-13. |
James Madison |
286 |
- |
- |
286 |
| 15. |
Francis Marion |
290 |
- |
- |
290 |
| 16. |
Jacksonville |
293 |
- |
- |
293 |
| 17. |
Western Carolina (B) |
299 |
- |
- |
299 |
Support UTRGV Men's Golf |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
