BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The No. 4 Texas A&M men's golf team sits in first place after the first day of the Shoal Creek Invitational at 6-under par. Play was suspended due to lightning in the area as the Aggies were on the back nine of their second round of the day.
The Aggies hold a 1-stroke lead over North Florida, shooting even-par 288 in the first round before posting a 6-under total in the afternoon. The second round will resume from the point of suspension on Tuesday, then be immediately followed by the third and final round.
"We did a really good job today," said Texas A&M head coach JT Higgins. "We were not hitting our driver very well in the first round, and had trouble finding the fairway. Just like last week at Olympia Fields, at a championship golf course playing out of the rough is very difficult and takes away a lot of scoring opportunities. In the afternoon round, the light switch came on and we really started attacking the golf course, so that was fun to see. It's been a good team effort, we will sleep on the lead and come out tomorrow ready to roll, and see if we can bring this thing home."
Sam Bennett, playing in his first collegiate tournament, is in third place after an outstanding start to the tournament. The freshman shot an even-par 72 in his first round at Shoal Creek Country Club, then birdied five of his first six holes in the second round, sitting at 4-under for the round and championship when play was halted. Bennett is two strokes behind co-leaders Travis Trace of North Florida and Steven Fisk of Georgia Southern.
"Really good to see Sam Bennett play well in his first tournament," said Higgins. "He birdied five of his first six holes this afternoon, and is doing a great job for us today."
Chandler Phillips, coming off of his 23rd career top 10 finish last week at Olympia Fields, is tied for fourth place at 3-under. Phillips shot a 2-under 70 in the opening round, and was 1-under through nine on the second trip through the par 72 / 7,300 yard course that hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship.
Brandon Smith shot even-par through 30 holes on Monday, putting him in a tie for 14th. Smith followed a 1-over 73 in the morning with a 1-under effort through 12 when play was suspended. Dan Erickson is a stroke behind Smith at 1-over, shooting a 73 in the first round and was at even par in the second round.
Reese Ramsey carded a 4-over 76 in the opening round and is currently 7-over for the tournament, tied for 53rd.
Live scoring for the event is available on golfstat.com, and fans can follow @AggieMensGolf for updates on Twitter.
The Aggies hold a 1-stroke lead over North Florida, shooting even-par 288 in the first round before posting a 6-under total in the afternoon. The second round will resume from the point of suspension on Tuesday, then be immediately followed by the third and final round.
"We did a really good job today," said Texas A&M head coach JT Higgins. "We were not hitting our driver very well in the first round, and had trouble finding the fairway. Just like last week at Olympia Fields, at a championship golf course playing out of the rough is very difficult and takes away a lot of scoring opportunities. In the afternoon round, the light switch came on and we really started attacking the golf course, so that was fun to see. It's been a good team effort, we will sleep on the lead and come out tomorrow ready to roll, and see if we can bring this thing home."
Sam Bennett, playing in his first collegiate tournament, is in third place after an outstanding start to the tournament. The freshman shot an even-par 72 in his first round at Shoal Creek Country Club, then birdied five of his first six holes in the second round, sitting at 4-under for the round and championship when play was halted. Bennett is two strokes behind co-leaders Travis Trace of North Florida and Steven Fisk of Georgia Southern.
"Really good to see Sam Bennett play well in his first tournament," said Higgins. "He birdied five of his first six holes this afternoon, and is doing a great job for us today."
Chandler Phillips, coming off of his 23rd career top 10 finish last week at Olympia Fields, is tied for fourth place at 3-under. Phillips shot a 2-under 70 in the opening round, and was 1-under through nine on the second trip through the par 72 / 7,300 yard course that hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship.
Brandon Smith shot even-par through 30 holes on Monday, putting him in a tie for 14th. Smith followed a 1-over 73 in the morning with a 1-under effort through 12 when play was suspended. Dan Erickson is a stroke behind Smith at 1-over, shooting a 73 in the first round and was at even par in the second round.
Reese Ramsey carded a 4-over 76 in the opening round and is currently 7-over for the tournament, tied for 53rd.
Live scoring for the event is available on golfstat.com, and fans can follow @AggieMensGolf for updates on Twitter.