March 18, 2006
With all five Aggies carding a 76 or better, the No. 16 Texas A&M men?â„¢s golf team charged back into contention at the Hall of Fame Invitational on Saturday at the Redstone Golf Club.
Led by senior Andrew Parr?â„¢s two-under-par 70, the Aggies fired a 293 to move into fifth place in the team standings. The Aggies were just one stroke off the low round of the day (292), which was shot by leader Oklahoma State and second place East Tennessee State. The Aggies (308-293=601) trail Oklahoma State by 15 strokes (294-292=586) and ETSU by eight shots (295-292=593).
?We played terrific today,? Aggie head coach J.T. Higgins said. ?We did a good job of keeping the ball in play. Yesterday we put 12 balls in the water and today we had just one. We implemented our strategy and course management and it paid off with the way we scored.?
With the wind blowing hard out of the east, the field faced a tough challenge on Redstone?â„¢s layout, which is designed with a southern breeze in mind.
?We just played really solid golf. We didn?â„¢t do anything spectacular. We played smart and were patient, which is what you have to do in these conditions. The wind was coming out of the east and that made the long par fours some of the toughest holes on the course. They played dead into the wind, so they were a real challenge.?
Parr?â„¢s 70 tied for the second-lowest round of the day, behind only leader Anthony Kim?â„¢s (Oklahoma) three-under-par 69. Parr?â„¢s round vaulted him into a tie for 13th (79-70=149). Freshman Bronson Burgoon had another strong day with an even par 72 and stands in a tie for fourth (73-72=145). Rounding out the Aggie scores were Robert Gates (74-76=150, t18th), Jerad Harklau (82-75=157, t57th), and Martin Piller (84-76=160, t77th).
?Bronson played very well for the second day in a row,? Higgins said. ?He did a good job of placing his tee shots and approaches. Andrew was fantastic too. He was committed to his driver and focused on his round. If the team can build on what they did today, I think tomorrow will be a good round.?