Men's Golf | 9/23/2025 9:09:00 PM
SUWANEE, GA — North Carolina A&T men's golf team claimed victory at the 40th Annual Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Invitational held on the greens of the par-71 6769-yard Laurel Springs Golf Club. It marked the Aggies' third-ever tournament win since the program started in 2017.
The men won their first tournament since capturing the UMES Challenge on October 26, 2021. Meanwhile, Junior Camilo Marin topped the individual leaderboard at 3-under (69-70—139), becoming the first Aggie to win medalist honors since Diego Gonzalez won the UMES Challenge on October 26, 2021.
The Aggies opened with a 9-over 293 first round, then improved to 4-over 288 second round to finish 13-over 581, edging Alabama A&M by seven strokes at 20-over 588 and North Carolina Central University (NCCU) at 25-over 593.
Individually, sophomore Pedro Pereira also finished in the top 5 for the Aggies, shooting a two-round, two-day total of 2-over (73-71—144) to place fourth. Sophomore Javier Morgado and junior Drew Walker placed two more Aggies in the top 10. Morgado placed seventh at 5-over (75-72—147) and Walker finished in an eighth-place tie at 6-over (76-72—148).
Marin defeated NCCU's Jamal Hutchinson and Alabama A&M's Lukas Lange by one stroke after Hutchinson finished with a two-round total of 2-under (70-70—140) and Lange closed with a 2-under (73-67—140). NCCU's Mateo Zolezzi rounded out the top 5 with a 145.
Marin put together two consistent rounds. He started off the tournament in rhythm in the first round, opening with a birdie on the par-4, 416-yard first before stringing together three smooth pars and another birdie on the par-3, 176-yard fifth. Marin carded another birdie on the front nine, with a four on the par-5, 589-yard seventh.
After opening the front nine with a birdie, Marin opened the back nine with one, posting a two on the par-3, 187-yard 10th. His momentum briefly stalled with a bogey on 11, but three straight pars followed before a birdie on the par-5, 520-yard 15th. He stood at an impressive 4-under at that point before a double bogey on 17 accounted for his impressive 69.
In the second round, Marin kept his card clean and consistent en route to a one-under 70. He opened with another rhythmic stretch of three pars and a birdie on the par 5, 544-yard second before bogeys on five and six moved him to 1-over. He recovered on the seventh with his second birdie of the tournament on that hole. He finished the front nine with two straight pars.
His second day back nine started with five straight pars to keep Hutchinson and Lange away from the lead. Marin sealed the victory with another birdie on 15 before putting an exclamation point on things with two straight pars.
Meanwhile, Pereira stumbled at first during his first round, posting three bogeys and a double bogey to contribute to his first-round 73. Round 2 ended much better. He birdied three of his first five holes, including No. 2, the par 4, 339-yard No. 3, and the par 3, 176-yard No. 5. His front nine ended with a bogey on No. 9, and he fell back to 1-over after bogeying three of the first five holes on the back nine.
He shifted back to his birdie form with a four on the par-5 15th. He closed with three steady pars to finish the round at an even 71.
Morgado's numbers didn't count toward A&T's totals for the tournament, but his second round included five birdies, including opening the second round with three consecutive birdies. Meanwhile, Walker caught fire toward the end of the second round. He holed four birdies on the back nine to finish with a 32 on the final nine holes.
Sophomores Ignacio Zapata (75-77—152) and Mauricio Alvarado (77-75—152) finished in a three-way tie for 20th with Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Timur Alalin at 152.
The Aggies will tee up again starting Sunday, September 28, at The Carolina Cup hosted by the University of South Carolina Upstate at the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, SC.
