OPELIKA, Ala. – The No. 6 Texas A&M men's golf team take on a strong field at Auburn's Tiger Invitational Monday through Wednesday at the Grand National Lake Course.
Due to expected inclement weather, teams begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday with the goal of completing 36 holes by the end of the day and 54 holes by Wednesday. The Aggies begin on the 10th hole and are paired with Arkansas State and LSU.
Representing the Aggies in Opelika are seniors Dan Erickson, Walker Lee and Brandon Smith, junior Sam Bennett and sophomore William Paysse. Redshirt freshman Matthew Denton makes his collegiate debut, competing as a non-scoring individual.
The Aggies' hot start this spring has vaulted the team to No. 6 in the latest edition of the Golfstat.com Team Rankings. Since the start of 2021, head coach Brian Kortan's team has posted a dominant win at the Border Olympics and placed third at the Cabo. Additionally, Texas A&M has produced the medalist at both tournaments and generated the last two SEC Golfers of the Week.
The Aggies' Lineup:
The Field (Golfstat.com rankings as of March 9):
The 2021 Tiger Invitational features nine teams ranked in the latest Golfstat.com Top 25:
Full field: Host Auburn, Auburn "B" Team, Alabama, UAB, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.
Most Recent Action:
Last week, junior Sam Bennett earned a PGA Tour exemption to the Valero Texas Open by winning medalist honors at the Cabo Collegiate, which was played at TPC San Antonio. Bennett closed with a 5-under 67 in the final round to win by one stroke. He will compete in the VTO at TPC San Antonio March 29-April 4. The team placed third at the Cabo Collegiate, posting head-to-head victories over nine teams ranked in the previous Golfstat.com top 20, including No. 1 Arizona, No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas.
The Course:
The Grand National Lake Course in Opelika, Ala., is a par-72 course that runs 7,289 yards.
Follow the Action:
Fans can follow the action at Golfstat.com, and updates will be available via twitter on @AggieMensGolf.
Golfstat.com link: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=20890
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About Texas A&M Athletics | Home of the 12th Man:
One of the most successful Athletics Departments in the nation, Texas A&M ranked No. 15 in the most recent Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup standings and is one of eight Division I institutions nationally to finish in the top 20 of the prestigious ranking of athletics success for at least 13 consecutive years. For more information, go to www.12thMan.com.
About Texas A&M University:
Texas A&M University, the flagship university within the Texas A&M University System, is a tier-one research institution with nearly $1 billion in research grants and more than 69,000 students. The President of Texas A&M University has strategic oversight for campuses in Bryan-College Station and Galveston, Texas and Doha, Qatar. We include The Health Science Center with the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, as well as The Texas A&M School of Law and Mays Business School. For more information, go to www.tamu.edu.
Due to expected inclement weather, teams begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday with the goal of completing 36 holes by the end of the day and 54 holes by Wednesday. The Aggies begin on the 10th hole and are paired with Arkansas State and LSU.
Representing the Aggies in Opelika are seniors Dan Erickson, Walker Lee and Brandon Smith, junior Sam Bennett and sophomore William Paysse. Redshirt freshman Matthew Denton makes his collegiate debut, competing as a non-scoring individual.
The Aggies' hot start this spring has vaulted the team to No. 6 in the latest edition of the Golfstat.com Team Rankings. Since the start of 2021, head coach Brian Kortan's team has posted a dominant win at the Border Olympics and placed third at the Cabo. Additionally, Texas A&M has produced the medalist at both tournaments and generated the last two SEC Golfers of the Week.
The Aggies' Lineup:
| #1 Dan ERICKSON | Sr. | Whittier, Calif. |
| #2 Sam BENNETT | Jr. | Madisonville, Texas |
| #3 Walker LEE | Sr. | Houston, Texas |
| #4 William PAYSSE | So. | Belton, Texas |
| #5 Brandon SMITH | Sr. | Frisco, Texas |
| IND Matthew DENTON | rFr. | Austin, Texas |
The Field (Golfstat.com rankings as of March 9):
The 2021 Tiger Invitational features nine teams ranked in the latest Golfstat.com Top 25:
| No. 6 | Texas A&M |
| No. 13 | Georgia |
| No. 14 | Vanderbilt |
| No. 15 | Florida |
| No. 16 | Auburn |
| No. 20 | Tennessee |
| No. 21 | Arkansas |
| No. 23 | Arkansas State |
| No. 24 | LSU |
Full field: Host Auburn, Auburn "B" Team, Alabama, UAB, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.
Most Recent Action:
Last week, junior Sam Bennett earned a PGA Tour exemption to the Valero Texas Open by winning medalist honors at the Cabo Collegiate, which was played at TPC San Antonio. Bennett closed with a 5-under 67 in the final round to win by one stroke. He will compete in the VTO at TPC San Antonio March 29-April 4. The team placed third at the Cabo Collegiate, posting head-to-head victories over nine teams ranked in the previous Golfstat.com top 20, including No. 1 Arizona, No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas.
The Course:
The Grand National Lake Course in Opelika, Ala., is a par-72 course that runs 7,289 yards.
Follow the Action:
Fans can follow the action at Golfstat.com, and updates will be available via twitter on @AggieMensGolf.
Golfstat.com link: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=20890
###
About Texas A&M Athletics | Home of the 12th Man:
One of the most successful Athletics Departments in the nation, Texas A&M ranked No. 15 in the most recent Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup standings and is one of eight Division I institutions nationally to finish in the top 20 of the prestigious ranking of athletics success for at least 13 consecutive years. For more information, go to www.12thMan.com.
About Texas A&M University:
Texas A&M University, the flagship university within the Texas A&M University System, is a tier-one research institution with nearly $1 billion in research grants and more than 69,000 students. The President of Texas A&M University has strategic oversight for campuses in Bryan-College Station and Galveston, Texas and Doha, Qatar. We include The Health Science Center with the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, as well as The Texas A&M School of Law and Mays Business School. For more information, go to www.tamu.edu.