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ALPHARETTA, Ga.-The eighth-ranked Texas A&M men's golf team will face one of its toughest tests of the season this weekend when the Aggies participate in The United States Collegiate Championship Sunday through Tuesday at The Golf Club of Georgia.
A&M is part of a loaded 14-team field that includes 10 teams that are ranked in the latest edition of the Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches' Poll. Joining the Aggies are top-ranked Auburn, No. 3 UCLA, No. 5 Georgia Tech, No. 11 USC, No. 12 Clemson, No. 13 Washington, No. 18 Florida State, No. 21 Duke, No. 23 Virginia, East Tennessee State, Iowa, Kent State and Wake Forest.
"The U.S. Collegiate Championship is pretty much as good as it gets for college golf," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "The Golf Club of Georgia is an outstanding venue, the field is loaded and they pull out all the stops for the players. Each player gets a caddie, there are corporate sponsors, skyboxes and tents-it truly has a PGA feel to it. For us, it's a great chance to see where we stack up against the best teams in the country. I think it will be a good test for us and I'm really looking forward to see how we respond."
It will mark the second tournament of the season for Texas A&M, which is coming off a runner-up finish in the season-opening Lone Star Invitational this past weekend in San Antonio. The Aggies were led by sophomore Johannes Veerman and freshman Ty Dunlap, who finished in seventh and ninth places respectively. Both will be in the lineup for the USCC, along with All-Americans Jordan Russell and Cameron Peck, and junior Case Cochran, who turned in a strong 12th-place showing in San Antonio.
2011 will mark A&M's fifth appearance all-time in the USCC. The Aggies posted their best-ever finish at the event last season, placing third with a 2-over par 866. Texas A&M will open the tournament on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. (CT) and will be paired with host (and defending champion) Georgia Tech and UCLA.
Live scoring of the U.S. Collegiate Championship will be available on golfstat.com and aggieathletics.com, while fans can also follow the Aggies via twitter at @AggieMensGolf. In addition, the USCC will broadcast live video of Tuesday's final round beginning at 1 p.m. (CT) at www.theuscc.org.
U.S. COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP BREAKDOWN
October 23, 24 and 25
The Golf Club of Georgia, Lakeside Course (par 72, 7,017 yards)
Alpharetta, Georgia
Host: Georgia Tech
The Field (15 teams): (#1) Auburn, (#3) UCLA, (#5) Georgia Tech, (#8) A&M, (#11) USC, (#12) Clemson, (#13) Washington, (#18) Florida State, (#21) Duke, (#23) Virginia, East Tennessee State, Iowa, Kent State and Wake Forest
Format: team stroke play, 54 holes
Defending Champions: Georgia Tech (836, -28); James White, Georgia Tech (204, -12)
Round 1: Sunday, 8 a.m. (CT) - Aggies will tee off at 9:40 a.m. CT
Round 2: Monday, 8 a.m. (CT) - Aggies will tee off at 10:30 a.m. CT
Round 3: Tuesday, 8 a.m. (CT) - tee time TBD
A&M lineup: Jordan Russell (Sr., 73.00); Cameron Peck (Jr., 73.33); Johannes Veerman (So., 72.00); Case Cochran (Jr., 72.67); and Ty Dunlap (Fr., 72.33)
Live Scoring: http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2808
Updates: via twitter at @AggieMensGolf
Live Video: Tuesday's final round will be shown live on www.theuscc.org
Up Next: Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, Dallas, Texas