April 14, 2011
Information Page
Tourney Preview
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JT Higgins [mp3] |
Action will begin with a pair of rounds beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The third and final round will start on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Admission is free and free parking is available at the new club house off Traditions Drive.
"We feel like Bryan/College Station has become a great golf community," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We have fantastic courses, people that love the game and a lot of support. The chance to play at home in front of our fans and supporters is something we're really excited about."
A&M is the defending champion and one of three top-10 and five top-25 squads in the field. Joining the Aggies are No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State, No. 8 Texas, No. 16 Texas Tech, No. 24 Oklahoma, Baylor, Kent State, New Mexico, SMU, Tulsa and UTSA. Each team will play six and count the top five scores toward the team total, different from most tournaments through the season.
"It's a really strong field, and that's because of the Big 12 south," Higgins said. "It's just become such a strong golf conference. It starts with Oklahoma State, they've been the dominant program for years. We've come on pretty well, Texas has always been good, and Texas Tech is always a top-20 team. It's a really strong field made up mostly of Big 12 teams, and it's a good preview for next weekend's Big 12 Championship. I think the coaches like coming here, it gives them a chance to play six players and gives them one last chance to look at their team before they send them to conference."
The field showcases 18 of the nation's top 100 collegiate amateurs, including the country's top-ranked player, Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State. Uihlein won the U.S. Amateur earlier this year and is coming to Traditions Club fresh off participating in The Masters last weekend. Five Aggies are ranked, led by junior Jordan Russell, the country's 18th-ranked collegian.
Texas A&M won the tournament by a record 21 shots last spring, shooting a 38-under par for the weekend. Russell is the defending champion, firing a tourney-record 10-under 206.
The Aggies' team for this weekend's tournament will consist of Russell (71.3 average), seniors Nacho Elvira (72.1), Conrad Shindler (72.4) and John Hurley (73.2), and sophomores Case Cochran (74.1) and Cameron Peck (72.8). In addition, senior Bryant Lach, sophomore Drew Evans and redshirt freshman Ryan Kelley will compete as individuals.
Traditions will be set up to play at par-72, 7,146 yards. For those familiar with the course layout, the normal hole No. 8 will serve as the first hole, hole No. 9 as the second hole, hole No. 1 as the third hole, and so on. The back nine will remain as usual. Spectators are asked to turn off cell phones, remain at least 15 yards from players and stay on cart paths or in the rough.
Texas A&M will be paired with top-ranked OSU and eighth-ranked Texas for Saturday's first two rounds. Groups will begin teeing off from the first hole at 7:30 a.m. For those unable to attend, live scoring all weekend will be available on golfstat.com with updates via Twitter at @AggieInvite and @AggieMensGolf.
"I love this team," Higgins said. "I don't think we've played great golf this year yet but at the same time our bad golf has been pretty good. I like that they're not satisfied with where they're at, that they know they can do better and that our best golf is in front of us. I love where we're at. I think we're going to play some good golf down the stretch and there's no better way to get started than at home. We've been pointing to these four tournaments all year, and everything else up until now has been in preparation for this. We want to win our home tournament, the conference championship, regionals and nationals. That's where we're going and this is the first step on the way to our ultimate goal."
April 16 & 17 - Traditions Club (par 72/7,146 yards) - Bryan, Texas
The Field (11 teams): No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 Texas, No. 16 Texas Tech, No. 24 Oklahoma, Baylor, Kent State, New Mexico, SMU, Tulsa, UTSA.
Format: team stroke play, 54 holes
Rounds 1 & 2: Saturday, 7:30 a.m. (continuous play)
Round 3: Sunday, 7:30 a.m.
Host Institution: Texas A&M
Defending Champions: Texas A&M (1042, -38); Jordan Russell, Texas A&M (206, -10)
A&M Lineup: John Hurley (Sr., 73.2 average); Cameron Peck (So., 72.8); Jordan Russell (Jr., 71.3); Nacho Elvira (Sr., 72.1); Conrad Shindler (Sr., 72.4); Case Cochran (So., 74.1); Bryant Lach* (Sr., 82.0); Drew Evans* (So.); Ryan Kelley* (Fr.) * playing as individual
Live Scoring: golfstat.com
Updates: via twitter at @AggieInvite and @AggieMensGolf
Up Next: April 25-27, Big 12 Championship, Prairie Dunes CC, Hutchinson, Kansas