Men’s Golf Breaks Records in Runner-Up Finish at Arizona N.I.T.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona completed its 54-hole home tournament, the Arizona N.I.T., with a program record of 50-under par but came up one stroke shy of winning the event for a second consecutive year. New Mexico, at 51-under, won the 2024 edition of the event shooting the second lowest team score in the Arizona N.I.T.’s 22-year history.

“We came up one shot short of defending our title, but our team made history today by shooting 50-under,” said head coach Jim Anderson. “You have to tip your cap to New Mexico for playing some great golf, but I am incredibly proud of how our guys competed in record-breaking fashion. We had three guys finish in the top 10 with Tianyi shooting the lowest round ever by an Arizona freshman. Our program made a statement this week, and there is more great golf in our future.”

The Cats had a trio of golfers finish in the top 10 of the player leaderboards, led by Tiger Christensen’s 16-under performance to finish in a tie for third. Tiyani Xioing and Zach Pollo both shot 12-under for the week to finish tied for ninth. BYU’s Zac Jones, who won the 2023 Arizona Intercollegiate, claimed the week’s individual title at 18-under par.

The Wildcats shot 20-under in their second and third rounds to propel them to their historic finish. Arizona’s final score of 50-under surpassed its previous mark of 41-under in its win at the 2021 Pac-12 Championships.

Arizona will return to action at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawai’i in the second week of February.

News & Notes

• Arizona finished its second and third rounds with scores of 20-under par, which were the second lowest team rounds in program history. The Wildcats shot 21-under in the first round of the 2019 Arizona Intercollegiate at Sewailo Golf Club.
• Freshman Tianyi Xiong carded a 9-under round of 63 in the second round that marked the lowest round ever by an Arizona freshman. He also tied for the fifth lowest round in school history.
• Tiger Christensen’s third round of 64 tied his career low, matching his final round performance in his win at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in October.
• Arizona’s 50-under performance was a program record for a 54-hole tournament and the third lowest score in Arizona N.I.T. history. Oklahoma State won the 2022 edition of the tournament with a final score of 52-over.

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