BRYAN, Texas – Following a strong opening round on their home course to tee off the postseason, No. 2 Texas A&M leads the NCAA Bryan Regional after 18 holes with a pair of Aggies tied atop the player standings.
As a team, Texas A&M (279, -9) holds a three-stroke advantage over second-place Baylor after Monday's round at Traditions Club that saw all five A&M golfers finish in the top third of the 75-player field. The Aggies are aiming to finish in the top-five squads at the conclusion of the tournament's 54-holes to secure a spot at the NCAA Championships which will take place May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.
"The first round has been a problem for us in just about every tournament this spring," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We thought 'let's get out there and give ourselves a good shot.' They came ready to play and we're really proud of them. We want to win. It's our home course and being regional champs would be fantastic."
All-American Chandler Phillips (-4) and sophomore Brandon Smith (-4) share a three-way tie for the individual lead with Baylor's Cooper Dossey. Phillips began the day on a tear with six birdies in his first eight holes to jump out in front of the field. Smith, meanwhile, was steady before getting hot late by carding a four-under 32 on his closing nine holes after shooting even par on the front-nine.
"Brandon was rock-solid," added Higgins. "Bad club off the first hole cost him a bogey and only had one more bad shot. Other than that, he hit a lot of great shots. He was making everything late."
Sophomore Dan Erickson (-1) joins the pair under par and near the top of the player standings, sitting in a share of 12th while senior Andrew Paysse (E) is one shot behind in 19th. Rounding out the A&M contingent, freshman Walker Lee (+1) carded an opening-round 73, good for a tie of 22nd.
The Aggies return to the course Tuesday morning, teeing off alongside golfers from Baylor and Clemson at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring and results can be found on golfstat.com and as well as live updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.
As a team, Texas A&M (279, -9) holds a three-stroke advantage over second-place Baylor after Monday's round at Traditions Club that saw all five A&M golfers finish in the top third of the 75-player field. The Aggies are aiming to finish in the top-five squads at the conclusion of the tournament's 54-holes to secure a spot at the NCAA Championships which will take place May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.
"The first round has been a problem for us in just about every tournament this spring," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We thought 'let's get out there and give ourselves a good shot.' They came ready to play and we're really proud of them. We want to win. It's our home course and being regional champs would be fantastic."
All-American Chandler Phillips (-4) and sophomore Brandon Smith (-4) share a three-way tie for the individual lead with Baylor's Cooper Dossey. Phillips began the day on a tear with six birdies in his first eight holes to jump out in front of the field. Smith, meanwhile, was steady before getting hot late by carding a four-under 32 on his closing nine holes after shooting even par on the front-nine.
"Brandon was rock-solid," added Higgins. "Bad club off the first hole cost him a bogey and only had one more bad shot. Other than that, he hit a lot of great shots. He was making everything late."
Sophomore Dan Erickson (-1) joins the pair under par and near the top of the player standings, sitting in a share of 12th while senior Andrew Paysse (E) is one shot behind in 19th. Rounding out the A&M contingent, freshman Walker Lee (+1) carded an opening-round 73, good for a tie of 22nd.
The Aggies return to the course Tuesday morning, teeing off alongside golfers from Baylor and Clemson at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring and results can be found on golfstat.com and as well as live updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf.