The tournament will be played Saturday and Sunday at the par-72, 7,305-yard Classic Club golf course, a Troon Golf property. Both days begin with a 7:30 a.m. (PT) shotgun start-two rounds are scheduled on Saturday with a final 18 on Sunday.
The Aggies recorded a 5-shot victory last spring, carding a 15-over 879 on the weekend. All five individuals finished in the top 21, led by Conrad Shindler's third-place finish (217, +1).
"We're looking forward to the second stop on our West Coast swing in Palm Desert this weekend," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "The Classic Club is a terrific course that has hosted the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on the PGA Tour. It is everything you would expect with firm, fast greens and is in perfect condition. We won last year and look forward to the chance to repeat. With that said, the field is very strong so we will really need to be on our game, precise and intelligent to win it again."
The 24-team field features four in the top 25 nationally, including No. 3 Auburn, No. 13 A&M, No. 15 UNLV and No. 18 Kent State. Joining host Wyoming in the rest of the field are San Francisco, SMU, UTEP, Texas Tech, Denver, Southern Utah, Colorado, Cal Poly, Nebraska, Santa Clara, Hawaii, Iowa State, UC Riverside, Texas-Arlington, St. Mary's College, Houston, Baylor, Idaho and Arizona.
Texas A&M makes the quick turnaround this week after placing fifth at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate last weekend in Hawai'i. Redshirt freshman Greg Yates (70.0 stroke average) recorded a team-best eighth-place finish at the Burns and returns to the lineup this week. Joining him will be seniors Jordan Russell (72.1) and Geoff Shaw (73.2), junior Cameron Peck (71.6) and true freshman Ty Dunlap (73.6).
Results will be posted online at wyomingathletics.com throughout the weekend. Fans can also follow the action with updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.
WYOMING DESERT INTERCOLLEGIATE BREAKDOWN
February 25-26, 2012
Classic Club (par 72 / 7,305 yards)
Palm Desert, California
Host: University of Wyoming
The Field (24 teams): No. 3 Auburn, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 15 UNLV, No. 18 Kent State, Wyoming, San Francisco, SMU, UTEP, Texas Tech, Denver, Southern Utah, Colorado, Cal Poly, Nebraska, Santa Clara, Hawaii, Iowa State, UC Riverside, Texas-Arlington, St. Mary's College, Houston, Baylor, Idaho, Arizona.
Format: team stroke play, 54 holes
Defending Champions: Texas A&M (879, +15); Scott Travers, Santa Clara (213, -3)
Rounds 1&2: Saturday, 7:30 a.m. (PT) (shotgun start)
Round 3: Sunday, 7:30 a.m. (PT) (shotgun start)
A&M lineup: Jordan Russell (Sr., 72.1); Cameron Peck (Jr., 71.6); Greg Yates (RFr., 70.0); Ty Dunlap (Fr., 73.6) and Geoff Shaw (Sr., 73.2).
Live Scoring: none (results posted at wyomingathletics.com)
Updates: via twitter at @AggieMensGolf
Up Next: March 9-11 at Southern Highlands Collegiate, Las Vegas, Nev.