Fort Lewis College Athletics

Anderson Helmer at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational

Brent Seals, West Texas A&M Athletic Communications

Anderson Helmer putts during the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational at Amarillo Country Club (Oct. 12, 2026)

Skyhawks struggle early in Amarillo

10/12/2026 6:32:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

AMARILLO, Texas – The Fort Lewis men's golf team found itself chasing the field in 15^th place on the back of a 604 (+36) team score through the first 36 holes of the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational at the Amarillo Country Club.

Fort Lewis turned in single-round scores of 310 (+26), the highest among any team, and then 294 (+10) for a 16-stroke improvement, but it wasn't enough to overtake Texas A&M International University in 14^th on a 602 (+34).

Only five teams finished below par after the day, with Hutchinson Community College leading the tournament by eight strokes on a commanding team score of 551 (-17). The University of Texas at Tyler's Braden Stokes leads all individuals, shooting a 68 (-3) and 67 (-4) to lead the field by one stroke at 135 (-7) overall.

Freshman Mateo Berastegui is the lone Skyhawk inside the top-50 of the 90-player field at T-36. The Phoenix, Ariz., native fired a six-bogey, two-birdie 75 (+4) around the 6,937-yard, par-71 track in round one before going low with a one-bogey, three-birdie 69 (-2) in his second round en route to a 144 (+2) total.

Johnathon Smith, a freshman out of nearby Pagosa Springs, Colo., is the next Skyhawk in the mix, sitting T-66 after back-to-back rounds of 75 (+4), and just four birdies put him at 150 (+8) overall.

The final trio of Skyhawks all reside within eight spots of one another on the leaderboard, featuring Dallin Stephens in T-81 on a 155 (+13), Chase Rogers in 86^th on a 157 (+15), and Anderson Helmer in 89^th with a 163 (+21).

Fort Lewis will complete a final 18 holes tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 13.

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