SAMMAMISH, Wash. — The Texas A&M men's golf team opened play at the NCAA Sammamish Regional on Monday, finishing the opening 18 holes of the event at Aldarra Golf Club in a tie for fourth place.
"Overall, it was a pretty good team effort today," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We really didn't get anything going and it turned into a ho-hum round, but I'm pretty happy with where we're at even though we didn't play great."
With 36 holes of competition remaining, the Aggies (287, +3) share fourth place on the 14-team leaderboard alongside Kent State while Florida State (-6), Southern Cal (-4) and Alabama (-1) own the top three spots. The top five teams at the completion of the regional advance to the NCAA Championship, scheduled for May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms Sugar Grove, Ill. Additionally, the highest-placing individual who is not a member of an advancing team will also earn a trip to Illinois.
Junior Andrew Paysse (69, -2) highlighted the A&M quintet during the opening round in the Pacific Northwest, firing a two-under 69 to finish the day with a share of sixth place. Keeping his ball in play off the tee, the Temple, Texas, native was among the field's most consistent performers Monday, posting four birdies without a misfire before bogeys on No. 16 and 18.
"Andrew was terrific all day, putting together a really solid 69 to start the tournament," Higgins added. "We didn't play great golf, but we fought hard and were able to put up a decent score that keeps us in good position."
Sophomore Chandler Phillips (71, E) turned in an even par scorecard during the opening round to end play in a tie for 14th while fellow first-team All-SEC performer Cameron Champ (72, +1) was a shot back with a share of 21st.
Rounding out the A&M contingency were redshirt freshman Brandon Smith (75, +4) and rookie Dan Erickson (76, +5), who hold shares of 45th and 52nd respectively.
"Everyone knows what they need to work on for tomorrow and where they need to be a little bit better," Higgins said. "Hopefully, we can move up the leaderboard and give ourselves a little breathing room heading into the final round."
The NCAA Sammamish Regional resumes with the second round on Tuesday morning where the Aggies are set to hit the course at 10:20 a.m. (CT) paired with Kent State and San Diego State. Results and live scoring can be found at GolfStat.com.
"Overall, it was a pretty good team effort today," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We really didn't get anything going and it turned into a ho-hum round, but I'm pretty happy with where we're at even though we didn't play great."
With 36 holes of competition remaining, the Aggies (287, +3) share fourth place on the 14-team leaderboard alongside Kent State while Florida State (-6), Southern Cal (-4) and Alabama (-1) own the top three spots. The top five teams at the completion of the regional advance to the NCAA Championship, scheduled for May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms Sugar Grove, Ill. Additionally, the highest-placing individual who is not a member of an advancing team will also earn a trip to Illinois.
Junior Andrew Paysse (69, -2) highlighted the A&M quintet during the opening round in the Pacific Northwest, firing a two-under 69 to finish the day with a share of sixth place. Keeping his ball in play off the tee, the Temple, Texas, native was among the field's most consistent performers Monday, posting four birdies without a misfire before bogeys on No. 16 and 18.
"Andrew was terrific all day, putting together a really solid 69 to start the tournament," Higgins added. "We didn't play great golf, but we fought hard and were able to put up a decent score that keeps us in good position."
Sophomore Chandler Phillips (71, E) turned in an even par scorecard during the opening round to end play in a tie for 14th while fellow first-team All-SEC performer Cameron Champ (72, +1) was a shot back with a share of 21st.
Rounding out the A&M contingency were redshirt freshman Brandon Smith (75, +4) and rookie Dan Erickson (76, +5), who hold shares of 45th and 52nd respectively.
"Everyone knows what they need to work on for tomorrow and where they need to be a little bit better," Higgins said. "Hopefully, we can move up the leaderboard and give ourselves a little breathing room heading into the final round."
The NCAA Sammamish Regional resumes with the second round on Tuesday morning where the Aggies are set to hit the course at 10:20 a.m. (CT) paired with Kent State and San Diego State. Results and live scoring can be found at GolfStat.com.