Final Results

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Colorado School of Mines claimed its first RMAC Tournament championship since 2012 by a single stroke over Regis in a drama-packed final round at Ocotillo Golf Resort.

On a nail-biting day that came down to the very last hole, Mines took a late lead thanks to Tim Amundson's birdie-birdie finish, and matched Regis everywhere else in the closing holes to hang on for the win.

Individually, Mines put all four scorers inside the top 20 led by runner-up George Markham, and Amundson surged to a fifth-place tie with Nic Beno 11th and Jordan Bass tied for 18th.

The Orediggers ended on a team 278 and a 54-hole total of 839 to settle at -13, a stroke better than Regis and seven ahead of CSU-Pueblo. Trailing both of those teams by a stroke after Monday's second round, Mines made its move on the back nine to force a tie with Regis after CSU-Pueblo fell off the pace shooting a two-over 286. Tied with the Rangers for much of the afternoon, Mines' big chance came in the final holes of the third pairing as Amundson finished on consecutive birdies to take the lead. 

That left Beno and Markham on the course to try to hold the lead, and they did just that: Beno ended on a bogey but so did playing partner Nicholas Tenuta of Regis, and Markham finished par-par to match his Regis counterpart, Tyler Zhang.

Markham claimed runner-up honors at -10 with a superb display of bogey-free golf. The junior shot a -3 68 to go with rounds of 67 and 68 from Sunday and Monday for his best career conference finish at -10 for the tournament. Most critical was his steady play down the stretch in the final pairing; after finishing with three bogeys across his final four holes on Monday, Markham ended with five straight pars in the final round.

Amundson, meanwhile, climbed three spots to finish fifth at -4 thanks to a round of 68. The sophomore went out one-under thanks to three birdies, and went bogey-free on the back nine including his two-under finish to help Mines clinch the title. Beno ended up -1 for the tournament with a 73, bouncing back from a triple on five with four birdies in his last 11 holes. Bass, making his RMACs debut as a senior, proved crucial as Mines' fourth scorer with a two-under 69, his best round of the week, spreading three birdies to only one bogey through a consistent day.

Alan Berry suffered a disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard, but it proved irrelevant to the team score as he was Mines' fifth man; Berry was sitting at 73 before the DQ was determined.

NOTABLES
- The title is Mines' second under the current RMAC Tournament format after their 2012 win; the Orediggers have also been runners-up in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
- Markham's second-place finish is the highest by an Oredigger since Nick Berry was co-medalist in 2015. Markham was sixth last year and 15th in 2016.
- Amundson notched a career-best finish after a T11 showing last year. Beno also improved dramatically following his T32 performance in 2017.
- The 2015 championship was also the last time Mines put all four of its scorers in the top 20; the Orediggers were second that year.
- The win is Mines' second of the year after taking their home Bob Writz Invitational in March. It caps a run of form that has seen them finish either first or second in four straight tournaments, and it all but cements their spot in next month's NCAA West/South Central Regional Championship.
- Ranked 32nd in the most recent GolfStat computer ratings, Mines finished ahead of two other top-40 teams as #12 UCCS ended up fourth and #40 Colorado Christian fifth.
- UCCS' Colin Prater held on for medalist honors at -14 with a four-under 67.