BUC WOMEN PLACE 1ST, WHILE MEN PLACE 2ND AT BLINN INVITATIONAL

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

In the first-ever Blinn College Fall Invitational, the Buccaneer men's and women's golf teams shined.

Played over the course of Monday and Tuesday at the Brenham Country Club in Brenham, Texas, the five-school, 12-team tournament saw the Blinn women capture the team and individual crowns, while the men placed second behind Tyler Junior College in a tight, one-stroke finish.

The Blinn Fall Invitational, which prior to this season was a spring-exclusive tournament, welcomed Tyler, Ranger College, Jacksonville College, and Collin College on the men's side, and North Central Texas College, Weatherford College, and Jacksonville on the women's side.

The Buccaneer women earned their first victory of the fall with a 75-over par across two rounds of play, outlasting second-place Weatherford by 18 strokes.

Blinn sophomore Rattanavarin "Pai" Tassaneetipagorn finished 9-over for her first individual victory of the season. She was named to the all-tournament team alongside Bucs freshman Daniah Syed, who claimed fifth place at 19-over. 

A total of 36 golfers competed in the women's competition.

"I'm really proud of the ladies for winning their first tournament of the year," said Bucs assistant coach Gary Belt, who oversees the women's squad. "At times it wasn't pretty for us, but in the end it was an effective outing. This was a good performance ahead of our final two tournaments of the fall."

On the men's side, the Bucs hung tough with Tyler through three rounds of play and posted their best team score of the fall at 2-under par across the final 18 holes. The Apaches did just enough at 4-under in the final round to eke out the win at 20-over.

Blinn's performance was admirable considering it competed in the final round on Tuesday down one player due to illness. 

"We might have been beaten by one stroke for the second tournament in a row, but it feels like a win in my book," said Blinn head coach David Johnson. "We still persevered and played at a high level and you can't help but be proud of the men for that."

Thirty-six men's golfers competed during the Invitational, and the Bucs placed four of their own inside the top 10. 

Sophomore Preston DeSerrano and freshman Cody Peters tied for third place at 5-over, while sophomores Volker Henkel and Ben Jones finished in sixth and eighth place at 7- and 9-over, respectively.

DeSerrano, Peters, and Henkel made the all-tournament team.

Up next for both the Blinn men's and women's teams is the two-day University of Houston-Victoria Fall Classic beginning Monday, Oct. 21, at The Club at Colony Creek in Victoria, Texas.