BRYAN, Texas – A strong second round at Traditions Club left the Texas A&M men's golf team tied atop the leaderboard and Aggie junior Ben Crancer pacing the player standings at the 2015 Aggie Invitational.
The Aggies, who were in fifth place after 18 holes, took advantage of the calming of the morning winds to post the day's lowest round (287) during their second turn on their home golf course. Texas A&M shares the top spot on the leaderboard with Oklahoma and New Mexico State at 14-over par.
“I was really proud of how we came back,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “The wind died down and we took full advantage of it, especially early. You could tell the guys were not very happy with how they played in the morning round and they tried to fix the situation. I'm really happy with them for battling back and putting themselves in position.”
Individually, Crancer (75-66=141, -3) was outstanding after opening the tournament with a 75, carding seven birdies in the afternoon to post the day's lowest round (66). The Kirkwood, Mo., native will enter Sunday's final round with a one-stroke lead over Cal's K.K. Limbhasut.
“[Ben] played great all day,” Higgins said of Crancer's performance. “Outside of a terrible swing on No. 15 where he made double, he played really good golf. I think he knew that and felt like he was playing and putting well.”
Junior Adrià Arnaus (73-75=148, +4), meanwhile, also owns a spot in the top 10 with a share for 10th.
Senior Greg Yates (81-70=151, +7) holds a share of 26th at seven-over par, while junior Andrew Lister (75-78=153, +9) and freshman Andrew Paysse (80-76=156, +12) round out the A&M lineup in ties for 34th and 45th, respectively.
Four Aggies -- Jake Goodman (77-74=151, +7), Charlie Benell (80-79=159, +15), Mickey Werenski (83-82=165, +21) and Connor Black (86-83=169, +25) -- competed as individuals with Goodman leading the group in a tie for 26th.
“It's great,” Higgins commented when being asked about his team coming together. “We're doing what we need to do. We need to have another really good round tomorrow to finish it up and we'll be in great position for the postseason.”
The tournament resumes Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. with a concluding 18 holes. The Aggies' lineup is set to tee off at 8:50 a.m. (CT) alongside golfers from Oklahoma and New Mexico State. Live scoring is available through GolfStat.com.