Southern Miss competed in the Conference USA Championship at the par-72 Texarkana Country Club, but failed to make the cut and advance in the tournament. However, seniors Casey Fernandez and Drew Kirby played some of their best golf in the tournament.

Southern Miss finished with 10-over par as a team, finishing behind North Texas, Charlotte, UAB and UTEP to advance to the next round. The Golden Eagles were just two strokes behind Charlotte to make the cut. Despite missing the cut, USM’s fifth place finish was their best since 2010.

Senior Casey Fernandez finished off his senior campaign with another great individual outing, shooting a three-under par for the tournament, (70-71-72 for his three-day total), capitalizing on his other recent success.

Fernandez finished second behind Juan Munoz of North Texas, becoming only the second runner-up at a conference tournament in school history, At the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship earlier this month, Fernandez won the classic, his third on the year.

Senior Drew Kirby finished tied for third with a score of one-under par. Kirby shot a 71-69-75 in the three-day tournament, which was a career-best.

Junior Hayes Weathersby and freshman Vasili Kartos finished tied for 35th place at nine-over par and sophomore Ryan Argotsinger tied for 53rd place at 13-over par.

Southern Miss will be in a difficult position next season as its two best golfers, Fernandez and Kirby, will both be gone.