HOUSTON – UT Arlington men's golf came up just short in its bid for the program's first tournament victory since the 2022-23 season. The Mavericks flirted with the lead throughout the second day of the Bayou City Collegiate Classic, but ultimately finished four strokes behind host Rice, who held on to win the tournament. 

The third place finish is UTA's best at the Bayou City Collegiate after also competing at the event each of the past two seasons. The Mavericks finished under par in all three rounds of the tournament and finished with an overall score of a 10-under 854.

Leading the way for UTA was graduate student Joseph Hayden. The Santa Clara transfer played steady golf throughout all three rounds, following up back-to-back rounds of 2-under-par 70 with yet another near-blemish-free 2-under 70.

Hayden carded just two bogeys or worse in every round. The graduate student recorded par or better on 16 of his 18 holes in the final round, highlighted by a 4-under 32 on the back nine.

The Dublin, California native finished among the tournament's best on par-5's, shooting seven under par on such holes which tied for second best in the field. All told, Hayden finished tied for eighth with a 6-under 210 for the tournament.

Ajay Morris turned in a strong outing in his season debut. The sophomore — who finished tied for seventh in the 2025 Bayou City Collegiate Classic — shot a 1-over 73 in the final round to finish with a 2-under 214 for the tournament.

Morris made par on 16 holes in the final round and finished tied for fourth in the field in pars made overall at 38. The Avondale, Arizona native placed in a tie for 16th individually, his tournament being highlighted by a 4-under 68 in round two that included an eagle on the par-5 12th hole.

Improving his score in every round, Austin Dennis posted the low final round among Mavericks with a 4-under 68. The freshman birdied five holes and recorded an eagle on the par-4 11th hole. 

Dennis — competing in just his second collegiate tournament — posted rounds of 77-72-68 for a 1-over 217 overall. The Ventura, California native finished tied for 23rd overall.

Michael Chevalier earned a top-40 finish for the second-straight tournament. The senior posted a 5-over 77 in the final round, finishing with a 4-over 220 overall and finishing in a tie for 36th. The Grapevine native's opening round of 68 tied Morris' second round and Dennis' final round for lowest of the tournament among Mavericks.

Jen Chie Huang rounded out the Mavericks at the event. The junior posted a 4-over 76 in the third round and finished with a 6-over 222. Huang was one of three Mavericks with an eagle on his card. The Tainan, Taiwan native eagled the par-5 18th hole in the opening round.

UTA SCORES
T8) Joey Hayden 70-70-70– 210
T16) Ajay Morris 73-68-73– 214
T23) Austin Dennis 77-72-68– 217
T36) Michael Chevalier 68-75-77– 220
T42) Jerry Huang 72-74-76– 222

Team
3) UT Arlington 283-284-287– 854

UTA will have a few weeks before its next tournament. The Mavericks will be back in action at the Tall City Collegiate — hosted by Wyoming — beginning Oct. 12 at Midland CC in Midland, Texas. FOLLOW ALONG
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