March 28, 2011
AWENDAW, S.C. - The seventh-ranked Texas A&M men's golf team battled through heavy rains, strong winds and cold temperatures to a 4-over 288 on Monday and maintained fifth place after two rounds of the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate at Bulls Bay Golf Club.
The Aggies (282-288) sit at 570, 2-over par and seven shots back of the leader Augusta State (563, -5) heading into Tuesday's third and final round.
"We played so well all day and just let a few shots slip away at the end that really cost us," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "The conditions were brutal, as close to a British Open as I have seen. The temperature stayed in the low 40s, the wind blew hard out of the north and it rained so hard the greens looked like lakes. At times, it was comical. The rain was coming down sideways and the wind was blowing so hard, umbrellas were useless. It was just survival mode today and I think we did a good job of staying close."
Ninth-ranked Augusta State, the defending national champions, were the only squad to shoot under par in Monday's second round (-2) and hold a two-shot lead over No. 12 LSU (565, -3). Wake Forest (E) is in third, followed by No. 6 Auburn (+1) and the Aggies (+2). No. 21 N.C. State (+5), Ole Miss (+10), No. 23 Duke (+11), No. 5 Florida (+12) and North Florida (+17) round out the top 10.
Individually, senior Nacho Elvira fired a team-best 68 and sits in fourth place at 3-under 139 (71-68), two shots back of the lead. Senior Conrad Shindler (70-72=142) is in 15th at even par, with sophomore Cameron Peck at 3-over (70-75=145) in 29th. Junior Jordan Russell is in 39th place at 5-over 147 (74-73) and senior John Hurley is in 43rd with a 6-over 148 (71-77).
Live scoring of Tuesday's final round can be found on golfstat.com and updates and photos can also be found via twitter at @AggieMensGolf. A&M is paired with Auburn and N.C. State and is scheduled to tee off at 7:50 a.m. (CDT). The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s.
"The teams in front of us are really good but we are in striking distance and we still haven't played our best golf," Higgins said. "We know we are capable of putting up a good number, it's just a matter of executing. I'm proud of how we handled the adverse conditions and anxious to see how we do now that we have a few rounds under our belt on this course."