LAFAYETTE, La. – Fueled by a trio of players in the top four spots on the leaderboard, the Texas A&M men's golf team leads the 33rd annual Louisiana Classics by seven strokes following 36 holes of competition on the event's opening day.
"21-under par after two rounds and in the lead going into the final round," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "I really don't think we could ask for much more."
Texas A&M (282-273=555, -21), which stood one-shot off the pace at the conclusion of the opening 18 holes at Oakbourne Country Club, surged up the leaderboard with a showing of 15-under during the afternoon round. The Aggies stand seven shots ahead of second-place Illinois (-14), while Kent State (-13), McNeese State (-10) and Sam Houston State (-4) round out the top five on the 15-school leaderboard.
"Just another good day of golf for the good guys," Higgins added. "We got off to a great start early then just hit the skids. We basically parred the golf course to death in that first round; got to six-under early and we just stayed there. We started the second round a shot down and just turned it on. We were making birdies early and frequently and just kept up the heat all the way through with everybody finishing strong."
Leading the A&M lineup at the event are sophomores Josh Gliege (72-66=138, -6) and Dan Erickson (69-69=138, -6), who each hold a share of second place just two strokes behind leader Ian Hold (-8) from Kent State.
Junior Chandler Phillips (72-67=139, -5) also owns a position near the top of the leaderboard in a tie for fourth place, while Walker Lee (69-72=141, -3) and Andrew Paysse (73-71=144, E) ended the day with shares of 10th and 30th, respectively.
Competing as an individual Brandon Smith (78-68=146, +2) will enter Tuesday's final round tied for 43rd.
"Top-to-bottom all six guys played really well, especially in that afternoon round to leave us in great position to bring home another championship," Higgins said.
The Texas A&M contingent will begin teeing off its final round Tuesday morning at 8:50 a.m. paired along golfers from Illinois and Kent State. Live scoring and results can be found on golfstat.com and as well as live updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.
The Louisiana Classics will feature a live video stream at Hole No. 9 with Dan McDonald and Gerald Broussard calling the action. Tuesday's coverage starts at 9:30 a.m. and can be found at http://www.ragincajuns.com/watch/?Live=892
"21-under par after two rounds and in the lead going into the final round," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "I really don't think we could ask for much more."
Texas A&M (282-273=555, -21), which stood one-shot off the pace at the conclusion of the opening 18 holes at Oakbourne Country Club, surged up the leaderboard with a showing of 15-under during the afternoon round. The Aggies stand seven shots ahead of second-place Illinois (-14), while Kent State (-13), McNeese State (-10) and Sam Houston State (-4) round out the top five on the 15-school leaderboard.
"Just another good day of golf for the good guys," Higgins added. "We got off to a great start early then just hit the skids. We basically parred the golf course to death in that first round; got to six-under early and we just stayed there. We started the second round a shot down and just turned it on. We were making birdies early and frequently and just kept up the heat all the way through with everybody finishing strong."
Leading the A&M lineup at the event are sophomores Josh Gliege (72-66=138, -6) and Dan Erickson (69-69=138, -6), who each hold a share of second place just two strokes behind leader Ian Hold (-8) from Kent State.
Junior Chandler Phillips (72-67=139, -5) also owns a position near the top of the leaderboard in a tie for fourth place, while Walker Lee (69-72=141, -3) and Andrew Paysse (73-71=144, E) ended the day with shares of 10th and 30th, respectively.
Competing as an individual Brandon Smith (78-68=146, +2) will enter Tuesday's final round tied for 43rd.
"Top-to-bottom all six guys played really well, especially in that afternoon round to leave us in great position to bring home another championship," Higgins said.
The Texas A&M contingent will begin teeing off its final round Tuesday morning at 8:50 a.m. paired along golfers from Illinois and Kent State. Live scoring and results can be found on golfstat.com and as well as live updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.
The Louisiana Classics will feature a live video stream at Hole No. 9 with Dan McDonald and Gerald Broussard calling the action. Tuesday's coverage starts at 9:30 a.m. and can be found at http://www.ragincajuns.com/watch/?Live=892