OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill.- Texas A&M junior Brandon Smith is tied for third, shooting a 1-under 69, to lead the No. 4 Aggie men's golf team in the second round of the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invite.
Smith, an All-American in 2018, is at 3-under 137 for the tournament and four strokes behind tournament leader Collin Morikawa. During Saturday's round, Smith rattled off three straight birdies on No. 11, No. 12 and No. 13.
"Brandon Smith continues to play fantastic golf," said Texas A&M head coach JT Higgins. "He struggled with his driver on the front nine, but found his rhythm on the back nine and made a few birdies in a row, and ended up shooting another under par round. He is in position to have a great tournament."
Texas A&M shot an 8-over 288 on the par 72 / 7,281 North Course, which hosted the 2003 U.S. Open. The Aggies are eighth after Saturday's round with a 14-over 574, but their 28 birdies tie for the third-most among the 14-team field. No. 1 Oklahoma State leads at 9-under 551.
"Driving the ball off the tee is going to be a strength for the team as the year goes on, but the last two days we've really had trouble finding the fairway," said Higgins. "The rough is thick, and it's hard to score from the trees and the tall grass. When we hit in the fairway, we get a lot of great opportunities and had a lot of birdies, but we give them right back with poor play off the tee. I thought we were in great position with one hole to play to have an outstanding tournament, but now we have to play very well tomorrow to make that up."
Three Aggies shot a 3-over 73 in the second round—Chandler Phillips, Dan Erickson and Walker Lee. Phillips, also an All-American in 2018, is tied for 21st at 3-over 143, while Erickson and Lee are tied for 46th with a 7-over 147. Josh Gliege carded a 5-over 75, and is tied for 69th with a 15-over 155.
The Aggies conclude the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational with the final round teeing off Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring is available on golfstat.com, and updates will be available on @AggieMensGolf.
Smith, an All-American in 2018, is at 3-under 137 for the tournament and four strokes behind tournament leader Collin Morikawa. During Saturday's round, Smith rattled off three straight birdies on No. 11, No. 12 and No. 13.
"Brandon Smith continues to play fantastic golf," said Texas A&M head coach JT Higgins. "He struggled with his driver on the front nine, but found his rhythm on the back nine and made a few birdies in a row, and ended up shooting another under par round. He is in position to have a great tournament."
Texas A&M shot an 8-over 288 on the par 72 / 7,281 North Course, which hosted the 2003 U.S. Open. The Aggies are eighth after Saturday's round with a 14-over 574, but their 28 birdies tie for the third-most among the 14-team field. No. 1 Oklahoma State leads at 9-under 551.
"Driving the ball off the tee is going to be a strength for the team as the year goes on, but the last two days we've really had trouble finding the fairway," said Higgins. "The rough is thick, and it's hard to score from the trees and the tall grass. When we hit in the fairway, we get a lot of great opportunities and had a lot of birdies, but we give them right back with poor play off the tee. I thought we were in great position with one hole to play to have an outstanding tournament, but now we have to play very well tomorrow to make that up."
Three Aggies shot a 3-over 73 in the second round—Chandler Phillips, Dan Erickson and Walker Lee. Phillips, also an All-American in 2018, is tied for 21st at 3-over 143, while Erickson and Lee are tied for 46th with a 7-over 147. Josh Gliege carded a 5-over 75, and is tied for 69th with a 15-over 155.
The Aggies conclude the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational with the final round teeing off Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring is available on golfstat.com, and updates will be available on @AggieMensGolf.