June 03, 2006
Sixth-ranked Texas A&M carded an 11-over-par 299 on Saturday and finished 14th at the NCAA Men?â„¢s Golf Championships at the Sunriver Resort?â„¢s Crosswater Club.
Oklahoma State captured its 10th NCAA men?â„¢s golf title with a nine-under total of 1,143, three shots better than runner-up Florida (1,146). Minnesota and Wake Forest tied for third (1,147).
Cowboys?â„¢ freshman Jonathan Moore won the individual crown by four strokes with a 12-under total of 68-70-69-69=276. Georgia?â„¢s Chris Kirk (280) and Wake Forest?â„¢s Kyle Reifers (280) tied for second.
A&M came into the final round tied for 10th, 13 strokes out of the lead. After starting on the 10th hole, the Aggies were a combined 16-over on their opening nine, but bounced back to shoot just one-over on the closing nine.
?Everyone on the team is really disappointed,? A&M coach J.T. Higgins said. ?We had a lot of ground to make up and the guys knew they had to make a lot of birdies. They tried to make that happen but it just wasn?â„¢t our day. I was proud of their mindset because they weren?â„¢t content to just try to finish high ?- they wanted to win it and that?â„¢s the way they played.?
A&M senior Andrew Parr tied for 15th with rounds of 71-70-69-77=287, tying the school record for NCAA Championships play. It was the highest finish by an Aggie since Danny Briggs finished eighth and Paul Oglesby placed 12th at the 1982 NCAA tournament, when Briggs also shot one-under.
A&M finished in the top 15 for the ninth time at the NCAA Championships and the second time in three years. A&M also claimed 14th in 2004. The Aggies are one of just 11 teams to advance to the national tournament in each of the last three seasons.
?We had a fantastic year,? Higgins said. ?We were in contention is almost every tournament we played, including this one. If someone had told me in September we?â„¢d be 13 shots out of the lead going into the final round at nationals, I would have taken it. Our players have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about. We were a top-10 team this year but all they are talking about is getting better next season.?
Freshman Bronson Burgoon tied for 42nd (74-72-74-72=292), senior Jerad Harklau tied for 57th (71-70-78-77=296), sophomore Martin Piller tied for 62nd (75-71-77-74=297) and sophomore Robert Gates tied for 70th (75-72-76-76=299).
Harklau carded a seven-over 43 on the front nine, but rebounded to shoot two-under on his final nine holes as an Aggie.
Parr also closed his stellar A&M career in style, dropping a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 9th, his final hole as a collegian. Parr set A&M career records for rounds played (150) and rounds of par or better (48).
?Jerad and Andrew have meant so much to this team,? Higgins said. ?Their work ethic and attitude set the tone for us the entire season. No one is losing two guys they?â„¢ll miss more. They meant a lot to their teammates and to me personally.?
Kentucky placed fifth in the team standings (1,153), followed by Georgia (1,156), Clemson (1,157), UCLA (1,157), Lamar (1,158), Washington (1,158), Arizona State (1,159), Duke (1,162), Arizona (1,168), Texas A&M (291-283-296-299=1,169) and Brigham Young (1,172).