Hutchinson CC Sports Information
AMARILLO, Texas – The NJCAA No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team held off a late Oklahoma Christian charge to win its third team championship of the 2026 fall season on Tuesday.
The Blue Dragons shot a 6-under 278 in the final round on Tuesday to earn a three-stroke victory in the West Texas A&M Ryan Palmer Classic at the par-71 Amarillo Country Club.
Top-ranked Hutchinson now has team victories in the Bent Tree Intercollegiate in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Waco River Classic in Waco, Texas and now the Ryan Palmer Classic. The Blue Dragons close out the fall portion of the 2026-27 season at the NJCAA National Preview next Monday and Tuesday in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
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The Blue Dragons entered Tuesday’s final round with a nine-stroke lead over Oklahoma Christian and Midwestern State. That lead dwindled to two strokes entering the final hole of the tournament with OCU giving chase.
Oklahoma Christian’s first two golfers to play the 18th hole had birdies, but were matched by Hutchinson’s Grant Hatzenbuehler and Grant Labuschagne. The Dragons got their break with the next group as sophomore Matt Vearncombe scored a par on the final hole and Hutchinson’s lead grew to three stroke when OCU’s Lorenzo Santinelli had a bogey. Sophomore Hugo Duquaine‘s par clinched the team victory for Hutchinson.
The Blue Dragons counted final-round scores of 68 from Duquaine, 69 from Hatzenbuehler, 70 from Vearncombe and 71 from Labuschagne to finish at 6-under 278. Led by a course-record 61 from Christian Yanovitch, Oklahoma Christian shot an 11-under 273 to close at 832.
Duquaine finished tied for third in the individual standings at 8-under 205. Duquaine had five birdies, three bogey’s and a key par on the 18th hole on Tuesday.
Vearncombe closed a career tournament with a 6-under 207, which tied him for sixth, a career-best finish. After posting back-to-back single-round career lows of 69 and 68 on Monday, Vearncombe completed his first collegiate tournament with all sub-par rounds with his 70 on Tuesday.
Hatzenbuehler was the third Blue Dragon in the Top 10, placing 10th at 5-under 208. Labuschagne tied for 11th at 4-under 209. Freshman Harry Richmond tied for 36th at 4-over 217. Richmond had a 73 on Tuesday.
Individual player Joe Austin tied for 32nd at 3-over 216. He closed the tournament with a 73 on Tuesday.
