PALM CITY, Fla. –The second-ranked Texas A&M men's golf team slipped into a share of third Monday after the middle round of the Valspar Collegiate from Floridian National Golf Course.
"That was our worst round of the spring," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins. "The conditions were perfect for scoring: light wind, course in great shape and perfect greens. We could not have had it any better and we let a golden opportunity slip through our hands. We made 19 birdies and an eagle today and only shot one-under - probably had a lot to do with the 10 penalty shots we had. That's terrible. We were sloppy and unfocused and it cost us. Even with all that, we had a chance for a decent round but shot ourselves in the foot by playing the last three at six-over."
The Aggies (281-283=564, -4) came into the day facing a four-stroke deficit behind tournament leader Oklahoma State (277-274=551, -17). The top-ranked Cowboys distanced themselves with a 10-under day and now hold a 12-shot lead over second place Baylor (284+279=563= -5). The Aggies struggled down the stretch Monday and will now need to make up a 13-stroke gap between themselves and the Cowboys.
Sophomore Dan Erickson (67-69=136, -6) carded his fifth consecutive round in the 60s with a three-under day, good for a share of third place. Heading into the final day of competition, Erickson sits four strokes off the pace set by leader Viktor Hovland (67-65=134, -6) of Oklahoma State. Erickson, a native of Whittier, Calif., is coming off first-place and second-place finishes in his last two events.
Sophomore Brandon Smith (73-67=140, -2) vaulted 24 spots Monday into a tie for 12th. Smith found himself as low as six-under for the day before falling back on his last three holes. Junior Chandler Phillips (70-72=142, E) holds a piece of 19th in the 90-player field after a one-over outing. The remainder of the Aggie lineup, sophomore Josh Gliege (71-75=146, +4) and senior Andrew Paysse (77-76=153, +11), sit in ties for 45th and 76th, respectively.
"We need to clean all that up and finish our rounds off if we want to compete at this level; otherwise, we are just another team," added Higgins. "I'm hoping tomorrow we see the team I think we are capable of being."
Competing as individuals, freshman Reese Ramsey (76-69=145, -1) matched his collegiate low round with a 69 putting him in a tie for 40th, 22 spots up from round one. Fellow freshman, Walker Lee (71-70=141, -1) sits in a share of 13th after an under-par day.
The Aggies tee off the concluding round at 7:30 (CT) on Tuesday morning paired alongside golfers from LSU and Duke. Live scoring for the final round will be available at GolfStat.com. Stay tuned to 12thMan.com or follow the Aggies on Twitter (@AggieMensGolf).
"That was our worst round of the spring," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins. "The conditions were perfect for scoring: light wind, course in great shape and perfect greens. We could not have had it any better and we let a golden opportunity slip through our hands. We made 19 birdies and an eagle today and only shot one-under - probably had a lot to do with the 10 penalty shots we had. That's terrible. We were sloppy and unfocused and it cost us. Even with all that, we had a chance for a decent round but shot ourselves in the foot by playing the last three at six-over."
The Aggies (281-283=564, -4) came into the day facing a four-stroke deficit behind tournament leader Oklahoma State (277-274=551, -17). The top-ranked Cowboys distanced themselves with a 10-under day and now hold a 12-shot lead over second place Baylor (284+279=563= -5). The Aggies struggled down the stretch Monday and will now need to make up a 13-stroke gap between themselves and the Cowboys.
Sophomore Dan Erickson (67-69=136, -6) carded his fifth consecutive round in the 60s with a three-under day, good for a share of third place. Heading into the final day of competition, Erickson sits four strokes off the pace set by leader Viktor Hovland (67-65=134, -6) of Oklahoma State. Erickson, a native of Whittier, Calif., is coming off first-place and second-place finishes in his last two events.
Sophomore Brandon Smith (73-67=140, -2) vaulted 24 spots Monday into a tie for 12th. Smith found himself as low as six-under for the day before falling back on his last three holes. Junior Chandler Phillips (70-72=142, E) holds a piece of 19th in the 90-player field after a one-over outing. The remainder of the Aggie lineup, sophomore Josh Gliege (71-75=146, +4) and senior Andrew Paysse (77-76=153, +11), sit in ties for 45th and 76th, respectively.
"We need to clean all that up and finish our rounds off if we want to compete at this level; otherwise, we are just another team," added Higgins. "I'm hoping tomorrow we see the team I think we are capable of being."
Competing as individuals, freshman Reese Ramsey (76-69=145, -1) matched his collegiate low round with a 69 putting him in a tie for 40th, 22 spots up from round one. Fellow freshman, Walker Lee (71-70=141, -1) sits in a share of 13th after an under-par day.
The Aggies tee off the concluding round at 7:30 (CT) on Tuesday morning paired alongside golfers from LSU and Duke. Live scoring for the final round will be available at GolfStat.com. Stay tuned to 12thMan.com or follow the Aggies on Twitter (@AggieMensGolf).