Troy University Athletics
Tuesday, February 17
Laredo, Texas
All Day
Troy University
vs
The Border Olympics
Photo by: Tim Cowie/Todd Drexler Photos
Men's Golf Closes Out Spring Opener at Border Olympics
2/17/2026 1:43:00 PM | Golf (M)
LAREDO, Texas – Paced by rounds of 73 from Lee Poppell and Pablo Gracia, the Troy men's golf team closed out play at The Border Olympics on Tuesday in the Trojans' spring opener. Poppell led the Trojans, finishing in a tie for 15th place, while Gracia was four shots back in a tie for 34th.
Birdies were hard to come by in Tuesday's final round at the Laredo Country Club, with Troy carding eight as a team as the average score rose from a 72.88 in round two to a 74.05 in the final round.
Poppell opened on nine and made the turn 2-under after birdies on the 14th and 17th, but shot 4-over on the back nine to finish 2-over on the day and 2-over for the tournament.
Gracia tied for third in the field, shooting 1-under on the par 3s over the course of the tournament, while his 11 birdies were tied for the 12th most. Freshman Thomas Crane matched Gracia's par-3 scoring for the week.
As a unit, the Trojans shot 9-over on the par 3s, the fourth-best in the field, but struggled finishing 11th in par-4 scoring and 12th in par-5 scoring.
Gracia had a birdie on each side of the course in his round of 73 as he closed the week at 6-over, while Thomas Crane tied for 50th place at 14-over after a birdie on No. 5 en route to a 74 on Tuesday. Lawton Emblom added a pair of birdies as he climbed nine spots into a tie for 60th place with Grant Yerger, who shot 10-over in the final round.
No. 50 Houston held off a charging Tarleton State and North Texas to win by two shots.
The Trojans will have a couple weeks to regroup before playing in the Golden Nugget Invitational, hosted by Lamar in Lake Charles, La.
Team Standings
1. Houston 284-283-283--850, T2. Tarleton State 292-282-278--852, T2. North Texas 281-290-281--852, 4. Wichita State 300-276-283--859, T5. Illinois State 289-288-284--861, T5. New Mexico State 286-285-290--861, T5. Lamar 291-279-291--861, 8. Louisiana 290-288-288--866, 9. UTRGV 297-281-296--874, 10. Houston Christian 292-292-292--876, 11. Troy 292-290-295--877, 12. Sam Houston 288-292-298--878, 13. Wright State 293-304-305—902
Troy Individuals
T15. Lee Poppell 72-70-73—215, T34. Pablo Gracia 71-75-73—219, T50. Thomas Crane 73-75-75—223, T60. Lawton Emblom 76-77-74—227, T60. Grant Yerger 76-70-81—227
Players Mentioned
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/ Golf (M)
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/ Golf (M)
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