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Gabriel Palacios Named Big 12 Men’s Golfer of the Month
3/6/2025 1:00 PM | Men's Golf
Palacios marks the first Ute in Big 12 history to receive the award
IRVING, Texas – Gabriel Palacios was named Big 12 Men's Golfer of the Month by the Big 12 Conference on Thursday, becoming the first Ute in Big 12 history to receive the award.
The sophomore from Guatemala City, Guatemala, has had a sensational season thus far and put it all together at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii, the lone tournament for the Utes in February. In the first tournament of the spring, Palacios remained in the hunt for the title after every round and excelled across the final two days.
In the first round, Palacios shot 2-under and was tied for seventh on the leaderboard while sitting just two strokes out of first place. On the second day, Palacios improved his first-round score to 4-under and climbed the ranks into a tie for the second-place spot.
Palacios saved his best round of golf for last at the Ocean Course Hokuala, posting 5-under for the final day. On the final hole of the tournament, Palacios drilled a birdie to push Utah into a tie for first place with UNLV while earning himself a share of first on the individual leaderboard. The sophomore finished with a 11-under 199 and notched in a tie with UNLV's Zach Little for first overall.
It was Palacios' first collegiate title and second-best tournament score of the season after shooting a 15-under 198 and finishing in second at the Palouse Collegiate to start the season.
Palacios catapulted up the NCAA men's individual rankings after his performance at the John Burns Intercollege, jumping 104 spots from No. 142 to No. 38.
Palacios and the No. 10 Utes are back in action this weekend for the Desert Mountain Collegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The sophomore from Guatemala City, Guatemala, has had a sensational season thus far and put it all together at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii, the lone tournament for the Utes in February. In the first tournament of the spring, Palacios remained in the hunt for the title after every round and excelled across the final two days.
In the first round, Palacios shot 2-under and was tied for seventh on the leaderboard while sitting just two strokes out of first place. On the second day, Palacios improved his first-round score to 4-under and climbed the ranks into a tie for the second-place spot.
Palacios saved his best round of golf for last at the Ocean Course Hokuala, posting 5-under for the final day. On the final hole of the tournament, Palacios drilled a birdie to push Utah into a tie for first place with UNLV while earning himself a share of first on the individual leaderboard. The sophomore finished with a 11-under 199 and notched in a tie with UNLV's Zach Little for first overall.
It was Palacios' first collegiate title and second-best tournament score of the season after shooting a 15-under 198 and finishing in second at the Palouse Collegiate to start the season.
Palacios catapulted up the NCAA men's individual rankings after his performance at the John Burns Intercollege, jumping 104 spots from No. 142 to No. 38.
Palacios and the No. 10 Utes are back in action this weekend for the Desert Mountain Collegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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