March 25, 2011
AWENDAW, S.C. - The No. 7-ranked Texas A&M men's golf team returns to action this weekend when the Aggies and seven other top-25 teams open play in the seventh-annual Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, held at Bulls Bay Golf Club outside Charleston.
The first round is scheduled for Sunday morning at the par-72, 7,282-yard Mike Strantz-designed course, set against the Atlantic Ocean. The second round will be played Monday with the third and final round set for Tuesday.
Joining the Aggies in the 15-team field are No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Auburn, defending national champion and No. 9-ranked Augusta State, No. 13 LSU, No. 15 Virginia, No. 21 N.C. State, No. 22 Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, North Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Wake Forest and host College of Charleston.
"We have been trying to figure out a way to play in this tournament for a couple of years but it has never really fit into our schedule, so we were excited to be able to add it this year," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "Since we have never been before, we don't know much about the course except it is a links-style layout near the ocean and that par has been a pretty good score in past years. With that said, we attack most courses the same and can usually keep it around par on most tracks. Our learning curve will just need to be a little quicker on this one."
A&M is coming off a nice showing at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championships earlier this week, one which saw the Aggies pick up a pair of victories--including one over top-seeded UCLA. Texas A&M has finished second or better in its last four tournaments, most recently a second-place showing at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters in Las Vegas.
The Aggies' lineup will remain the same as it has been in recent weeks. Competing in South Carolina will be seniors Nacho Elvira (72.4 average), John Hurley (73.3) and Conrad Shindler (72.5), junior Jordan Russell (71.2) and sophomore Cameron Peck (72.7).
"This is a tough trip because of the quick turnaround but I think we are ready to go," Higgins said. "The boys are playing great. This is a really top-heavy field with some of the best teams in the SEC and ACC teeing it up, so we will have our hands full. But we like to test ourselves against the best, especially this time of year, as we prepare for the post season and another run at the NCAA Championship."
Live scoring of the event will be available on golfstat.com. Updates and photos can also be found via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.
HOOTIE AT BULLS BAY INTERCOLLEGIATE BREAKDOWN
March 26-28 - Bulls Bay Golf Club (par 72/7,282 yards) - Awendaw, South Carolina
The Field (15 teams): No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Auburn, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 9 Augusta State, No. 13 LSU, No. 15 Virginia, No. 21 North Carolina State, No. 22 Duke, College of Charleston, Kentucky, North Carolina, North Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Wake Forest.
Format: team stroke play, 54 holes
Round 1: Sunday
Round 2: Monday
Round 3: Tuesday
Host Institution: College of Charleston
Defending Champions: LSU (845, -7); Matt Hill, N.C. State (204, -9)
A&M Lineup: John Hurley (Sr., 73.3 average); Cameron Peck (So., 72.7); Jordan Russell (Jr., 71.2); Nacho Elvira (Sr., 72.4); Conrad Shindler (Sr., 72.5)
Live Scoring: Click Here
Updates: via twitter at @aggiemensgolf
Up Next: April 16-17, Aggie Invitational at Traditions Club, Bryan