KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. – Returning to a venue where it enjoyed great success a year ago, the Texas A&M men's golf team is set for the DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup this weekend at the prestigious Golf Club of Tennessee.
“This is one of our favorite tournaments of the year,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “The Golf Club of Tennessee is an amazing venue and we'll get a chance to compete in match play as well as experience Nashville. It's always a great trip and we're excited to get back out there and do a little bit better this week.”
Last season, the Aggies enjoyed a second-place team showing at the tournament's inaugural competition as then-sophomore Ben Crancer made headlines across the country with the best showing of his collegiate career.
The Kirkwood, Mo., native set a Texas A&M men's golf record for 54-hole score vs. par at 16-under while claiming individual medalist honors, along the way firing a personal-best 63 during the event's second round. Crancer became the first Texas A&M golfer to finish a 54-hole tournament in less than 200 strokes (197) and was named National Player of the Week by Golfweek for his efforts.
The DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup is a unique event that features 54 holes of stroke play on Friday and Saturday as well as a round of match play Sunday as teams from the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference are paired against one another.
A strong field awaits the Aggies in the Volunteer State as seven schools in the 12-team field appeared in the Golfweek Preseason Top 30, including five in the top 10 spots. Teeing up this week will be No. 17 Clemson, Duke, No. 9 Georgia, No. 3 Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, Ole Miss, No. 7 South Carolina, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 6 Vanderbilt and No. 11 Virginia.
Joining Crancer in the Aggie lineup this week will be fellow juniors Adrià Arnaus and Andrew Lister along with freshmen Connor Black and Andrew Paysse.
Arnaus stood out as the Aggies' highest individual at last weekend's Olympia Fields Country Club Fighting Illini Invitational, carding his third career top-20 finish with a 15th place showing.
DICK'S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup
Sept. 19-21
Kingston Springs, Tenn.
The Golf Club of Tennessee
(par 71 / 7,184 yards)
The Field (12 teams): Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Virginia
Format: Team stroke play, 54 holes, & match play
Round 1 & 2: Friday (stroke play)
Round 3: Saturday (stroke play)
Match Play: Sunday
Defending Team Champion: Georgia (832, -20)
Defending Individual Champion: Ben Crancer, Texas A&M (197, -16)
A&M lineup: Ben Crancer, Andrew Lister, Andrew Paysse, Adrià Arnaus, Connor Black
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Live Updates: Twitter @AggieMensGolf
Up Next: Jerry Pate Intercollegiate
Site: Birmingham, Ala.