Trip Kuehne shot a 5-under 67 to lead Texas to a onestroke victory at the 2007 USGA Men’s State Team Championship, which was played at the par-72, 7,190-yard Fazio Course at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.

Terrence Miskell added an even-par 72 to give the home team a final round total of 139. The team’s three day total of 422 was enough to best Georgia by one shot and give Texas its second consecutive Men’s State Team title. Texas, which also won in 1999, becomes the first team to win three championships.

“Any time you win a USGA championship, that’s the pinnacle of golf,” said Miskell, the lone holdover from the Lone Star State’s 2005 title team. “This is as good as it gets. We did not want someone taking the trophy from us on our own turf.”

Miskell, who battled a shoulder injury during the entire championship, said the team was focused after losing the three-stroke lead it held after the first round.

“We were a little upset at ourselves after our play (in the second round),” said Miskell. “We felt like we let teams back into the championship. We felt like we should have shot under par, so to shoot over par was very frustrating.”

Miskell, playing first for the Texans, made a clutch up-and-down from a greenside bunker for par at the par-4 18th hole.

“I knew where we stood coming into 18 so when I was in that bunker, I thought, ‘I’ve got to get this up and down for us to have a chance,’” Miskell said. “There was a little fire in the belly to get it up and down.”

After opening with a first-round 68, Kuehne faltered a bit with a 2-over 74 in his second round, but came back with the 67 to lead Texas to victory. His 5-under round included a birdie on the 17th and a par on the 18th.

“It’s what I should have done (in the second round),” said Kuehne of his strong finish. “It’s nice to go out and play well, and for once it’s nice to be a bride instead of a bridesmaid.”

The third Texas teammate, Jonathan Mathias, finished with a 3-over 75 that did not count toward the winning team’s third-round tally. But Mathias, who contributed scores of 69 and 72 in the first two rounds, knew his teammates would get the job done.

“I was glad I had teammates,” said Mathias, who was playing in his first Men’s State Team. “I didn’t play my best (in the last round), but Terrence pulled through with his hurt shoulder, and Trip, well, Trip’s just Trip.”

Georgia, which entered the final round trailing secondround leader Alabama by three strokes, was led by a 6-under 66 from Mark Strickland and a 1-over 73 from David Noll Jr. The runner-up finish for Georgia was its best in the seven playings of the championship.

“We thought two rounds in the 60s would do it,” said Strickland, who didn’t make a bogey in his second or third rounds. “It was nice to play well in the final round, and we came close.”

Will Swift, who opened with rounds of 67 and 70 for Alabama, finished with a 2-over 74 while teammate Steve Hudson shot a 1-under 71. Alabama, which held a two-stroke lead over Texas heading into Thursday’s final round, finished tied for third with Virginia, which was led by a 4-under 68 from Jon Hurst.

1	Texas	422
2	Georgia	423
3	Alabama	426
	Virginia	426
5	South Carolina	428
6	Oklahoma	429
	Tennessee	429
8	Washington	431
9	Ohio	432
	Oregon	432
11	Massachusetts	433
	Maryland	433
13	Arkansas	434
14	Illinois	435
	Florida	435
16	North Carolina	436
	Colorado	436
18	New Hampshire	437
19	Louisiana	438
20	Nevada	439
	Wyoming	439
22	Pennsylvania	440
	Wisconsin	440
	Rhode Island	440
25	Utah	441
	Michigan	441
	Iowa	441
	New Mexico	441
	Minnesota	441
30	Missouri	442
31	South Dakota	443
	California	443
	North Dakota	443
34	Puerto Rico	444
35	Connecticut	445
36	Kansas	446
	New Jersey	446
38	Arizona	447
	West Virginia	447
40	Nebraska	448
	New York	448
42	Delaware	449
43	Hawaii	450
	Mississippi	450
45	Indiana	452
46	Maine	453
47	Idaho	455
48	Vermont	459
49	Montana	461
50	Alaska	466
51	District of Columbia	473
52	Kentucky	479