HUMBLE, Texas – Jose Manuel Peralta fired a 3-under-par 69 in Tuesday's final round to finish third individually and lead Harding to a runner-up showing at the Houston Classic, as the Bisons posted a three-round total of 295-285-286—866 (+2) at the Golf Club of Houston's Tournament Course.
The second-place finish matched Harding's best-ever performance at the event, equaling last year's runner-up showing when the tournament was shortened to 36 holes. The Bisons posted their best round of the tournament Monday with a 1-under 285, then followed with a solid 2-over 286 in Tuesday's finale.
Twenty-third-ranked Dallas Baptist captured the team title at 14-under par (281-283-286—850), holding off the Bisons by 16 shots. Third-ranked Central Oklahoma placed third at 10-over, while Midwestern State was fourth at 13-over.
"A really solid start to the spring," said Harding head coach Sam Tandy.
Peralta, a senior, completed a stellar three-day performance with rounds of 69-69-69 to finish at 9-under par, trailing only tournament champion Bryant Hiskey II of Houston (13-under) and DBU's Samuel Jenkins (11-under). Peralta led the tournament with 14 birdies across 54 holes and ranked tied for first in par-3 scoring at 2.75, including three under for the tournament on those holes.
His consistency on the par-5s, where he averaged 4.42 strokes to tie for first, proved crucial to Harding's team success. Peralta recorded just five bogeys through three rounds while carding one birdie per round on par-3s.
Sophomore Austin Bibb provided key support, posting a 1-over 73 in the final round to finish tied for 14th at 2-over par (74-71-73—218). Bibb's 12 total birdies ranked tied for third in the tournament, and his work on the par-4s—where he averaged 3.97 to tie for second—complemented Peralta's stellar play throughout the week.
Senior Dennis Staykov bounced back from a difficult opening round to finish tied for 22nd at 5-over (78-71-72—221). Junior Jose Arzu shot even-par 72 in the finale—making par on all 18 holes (a rare feat last achieved on the PGA Tour in 2023 by Stephen Ames)—to place tied for 23rd at 6-over, while sophomore Conner Geist finished tied for 71st at 18-over after a difficult final round.
As a team, Harding tied for second in birdies with 44 and ranked second in both par-3 scoring (3.07 average) and par-4 scoring (4.14). The Bisons' 175 pars ranked fourth in the 16-team field.
DBU dominated the individual leaderboard, placing four golfers in the top 15. Hiskey posted rounds of 64-69-70 to claim medalist honors at 13-under par (203), while Jenkins added a final-round 70 to secure second place at 11-under.
The tournament marked a successful start to Harding's spring season after the Bisons posted a 60-18 record through five fall tournaments. Harding next competes at the Shadow Valley Invitational, hosted by Arkansas-Fort Smith on March 2-3 at Shadow Valley Country Club. Peralta won the individual title at last year's Shadow Valley Invitational.
