FINAL LEADERBOARD

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Henderson State rallied from a three-shot deficit to Arkansas Tech, and held off a furious late surge from Harding, to capture its fourth-straight GAC golf championship on Wednesday.

The conference title is the ninth overall for the Reddies since 2014 and punches their ticket to the 2025 NCAA Central/Midwest Regional as the automatic bid for the GAC. 

The Reddies saved their best for last and shot 4-under in the final 18 holes to secure the title. HSU finished the event with a score of 1-under 839 for three rounds, defeating both Arkansas Tech and Harding by two shots.

True freshman Maxime Lam led the way for Henderson and earned All-Tournament honors by placing third individually. Lam shot 3-under 67 on Wednesday and was 3-under overall in the tournament. 

Jacob Knowlton had the best round of the day for the Reddies with a 4-under 66. Knowlton, who finished in sixth, came up big with a birdie on No. 18 to help Henderson seal the victory. Ethan Wilkins also tied for sixth and shot 1-over 71 with five birdies in his last 18 holes.

Philipp Pakosch took ninth place and was 3-over for the event, while Alex Hadden, who was inserted into the lineup today for the final round, shot 2-over 72 with five birdies.

Arkansas Tech, who entered Wednesday with a three-shot lead, shot 1-over on the day to tie for second place with Harding. The Bisons, who were 12 shots back at the start of the final round, turned in a blistering team score of 11-under to threaten before ultimately tying for runners-up.

Henderson now turns its attention to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional on May 8-10 in St. Joseph, Missouri, where the Reddies will be looking to secure their second straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships.