Feb. 4, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M men's golf team will hold the "unofficial" start to spring this weekend with the Maroon and White Matches at Traditions Club.
The squad has been split in half for the two-day event, which features an alternate shot competition and a match play round. Action will get underway at 11 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday, and fans are encouraged to attend.
Captaining the Maroon team is senior John Hurley, who is joined by seniors Bryant Lach and Conrad Shindler, sophomores Case Cochran and Jade Scott, and assistant coach and "12th year senior" Jim Anderson.
"We're going to win," Hurley said. "There's no question about it. Maroon's a better color than white. We're going to take them down."
Senior Nacho Elvira will lead the White team, which includes juniors Jordan Russell and Geoff Shaw, sophomore Drew Evans, redshirt freshman Ryan Kelley and true freshman Greg Yates.
"There's a spirit in the Spanish blood that flows through my veins, and I'm going to pass that to all my teammates," Elvira said. "Our minds are on the moment right now. The only thing we really have to focus on is Mr. Anderson, because you never know what he's going to bring to the golf course."
Action will get underway with the alternate shot competition on Saturday morning. Three sets of foursomes will tee off beginning at 11 a.m., including two maroon team members facing two members of the white squad. The six "teams" will vie for three possible points in the standings.
On Sunday, the teams will be split into individuals for singles match play competitions. Six possible points are on the table with action again starting at 9 a.m.
The team which reaches five points first is declared the winner.
Maroon and White Commissioner J.T. Higgins had no comment on the favorite heading into the weekend, only pointing out that he was "sad to say" that fellow staffer Jim Anderson "was picked last."
Coming off a strong fall season, the Aggies open spring action Feb. 16-18 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at Leilehua Golf Club in Hawai'i.