Thursday, February 15
Lihue, Hawai'i
All Day
Texas A&M
at
John A. Burns Intercollegiate
Phillips, Aggies Win John Burns Intercollegiate
Feb 17, 2018 | Men's Golf
Lihu'e, Kaua'i – The third-ranked Aggie men's golf team came from behind in the final round of the John Burns Intercollegiate on Saturday to capture its fourth tournament victory of the season with junior Chandler Phillips earning medalist honors.
The Aggies (283+278+274=825, -29) entered the final round at Wailua Golf Course trailing UNLV by five strokes. A&M made quick work of the Rebels' lead, erasing it in just a few holes before widening the gap to the final 17-stroke cushion. The 27-under final tally marks the third-lowest in program history.
"What an amazing day," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We were six back to start and within three holes we had taken the lead and it just kept getting bigger. We kept hitting good shot after good shot and when you add them all up it became a pretty good score. 29-under on this golf course is obviously really good and today is was tougher than most. Proud of the guys hanging in after a bad finish to the first round to give us a chance to win and come through."
Phillips (69+67+67=203, -13), the 2017 winner of the Burns Intercollegiate, successfully defended his title thanks to a five-under round for the second straight day, one off his collegiate best. Phillips had to overcome the three-stroke lead that Shintaro Ban of UNLV held prior to Saturday's action. The Huntsville, Texas, native captured his fourth career tournament title, one shy of the program record set by Anthony Rodriguez (1994-1995).
"Hats off to Chandler," said Higgins. "Pretty incredible to be the first back-to-back champion of this tournament, which is the second oldest tournament in college golf. A lot of great players have played here and none of them were able to pull off a win two years in a row."
Sophomore Josh Gliege (69+71+69=209, -7) secured his third top-five finish of the season with three-under day that saw him jump from 11th into a tie for third. Andrew Paysse (76+73+66=215, -1) leapt 43 spots on the leaderboard to 20th with an impressive six-under round. The senior carded his only bogey on his first hole before recording seven birdies the rest of the way to turn in his best collegiate round. Also in 20th place were sophomore Dan Erickson (74+69+72=215, -1) and freshman Walker Lee (71+71+73=215, -1)
"Andrew's back was bothering him all week and he just sucked it up today to shoot a 66," added Higgins. "He had a really great back-nine with a 31 and then Josh had his best performance with a third-place finish. Great team effort with our entire starting five finishing in the top-20."
Competing as an individual, sophomore Brandon Smith (69+69+74=212, -4) brought home a seventh place finish, his best collegiate showing. Also competing apart from the lineup, rookie Reese Ramsey (77+75+75=227, +11) wrapped up a tie for 90th.
Next up, the Aggies travel to Lafayette, La., for the Louisiana Classics. The event tees off from Oakbourne Country Club with 36 holes on Feb. 26 before wrapping up the following day.
"Overall, just a great week for us," finished Higgins. "We are really excited and looking forward to the next one in Louisiana. We'll come home and get ready and see if we can keep this up."
The Aggies (283+278+274=825, -29) entered the final round at Wailua Golf Course trailing UNLV by five strokes. A&M made quick work of the Rebels' lead, erasing it in just a few holes before widening the gap to the final 17-stroke cushion. The 27-under final tally marks the third-lowest in program history.
"What an amazing day," Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. "We were six back to start and within three holes we had taken the lead and it just kept getting bigger. We kept hitting good shot after good shot and when you add them all up it became a pretty good score. 29-under on this golf course is obviously really good and today is was tougher than most. Proud of the guys hanging in after a bad finish to the first round to give us a chance to win and come through."
Phillips (69+67+67=203, -13), the 2017 winner of the Burns Intercollegiate, successfully defended his title thanks to a five-under round for the second straight day, one off his collegiate best. Phillips had to overcome the three-stroke lead that Shintaro Ban of UNLV held prior to Saturday's action. The Huntsville, Texas, native captured his fourth career tournament title, one shy of the program record set by Anthony Rodriguez (1994-1995).
"Hats off to Chandler," said Higgins. "Pretty incredible to be the first back-to-back champion of this tournament, which is the second oldest tournament in college golf. A lot of great players have played here and none of them were able to pull off a win two years in a row."
Sophomore Josh Gliege (69+71+69=209, -7) secured his third top-five finish of the season with three-under day that saw him jump from 11th into a tie for third. Andrew Paysse (76+73+66=215, -1) leapt 43 spots on the leaderboard to 20th with an impressive six-under round. The senior carded his only bogey on his first hole before recording seven birdies the rest of the way to turn in his best collegiate round. Also in 20th place were sophomore Dan Erickson (74+69+72=215, -1) and freshman Walker Lee (71+71+73=215, -1)
"Andrew's back was bothering him all week and he just sucked it up today to shoot a 66," added Higgins. "He had a really great back-nine with a 31 and then Josh had his best performance with a third-place finish. Great team effort with our entire starting five finishing in the top-20."
Competing as an individual, sophomore Brandon Smith (69+69+74=212, -4) brought home a seventh place finish, his best collegiate showing. Also competing apart from the lineup, rookie Reese Ramsey (77+75+75=227, +11) wrapped up a tie for 90th.
Next up, the Aggies travel to Lafayette, La., for the Louisiana Classics. The event tees off from Oakbourne Country Club with 36 holes on Feb. 26 before wrapping up the following day.
"Overall, just a great week for us," finished Higgins. "We are really excited and looking forward to the next one in Louisiana. We'll come home and get ready and see if we can keep this up."
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