BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 12 Texas A&M men's golf team posted a 2-over 290 in the first round of the Aggie Invitational and finished day one tied for second on the team leaderboard on Friday at Traditions Club.
No. 5 Texas grabbed the first day lead with a 5-under 283, while the Aggies and No. 1 Oklahoma were seven strokes back at 2-over. Rounding out the top 10 teams were Louisville (+4), Houston (+7), North Texas (+9), No. 25 Texas Tech (+10), Baylor (+10), Nebraska (+10), UTSA (+12) and Rice (+12). On the individual leaderboard, Pierceson Coody of Texas took the first day lead with a 6-under 66.
The Aggies were led by junior Sam Bennett and freshman Daniel Rodrigues, who both carded under par rounds. Bennett continued his strong play with a bogey-free 4-under 68 that put him third in the individual standings, while Rodrigues was tied for fifth after posting a 2-under 70. Other Aggies contributing counting scores were senior Dan Erickson and sophomore William Paysse with 4-over 76s, which were good for a tie for 42nd.
Senior Brandon Smith, playing a non-scoring individual, tallied an even-par 72 and was tied for 12th.
Head Coach Brian Kortan said:
"It was a good first round for us. Danny (Rodrigues) and Sammy (Bennett) did a really good job. They were under par for most of the day. The team battled like they always do. We need to be a little cleaner tomorrow and eliminate a few of the mistakes that we made today. We had some penalty shots and just getting the ball out of position, but, all in all, it was nice to get the first round in the books, work some nerves out and get ready for the second round."
(How the first round went after hail storm on Thursday night) "I thought things went great today. There's a lot of really good golf programs here. Traditions Club and all the support we have to run the tournament, it really shows well. We put a lot of effort into it and we're proud of the event. To be playing golf out here today after the storm last night was awesome and I can't say enough the Traditions crew because they did some great work to get us on the golf course today."
Aggies on the Leaderboard (Rd. 1):
Other Aggies:
Follow the Action:
Fans can follow the action at Golfstat.com, and updates will be available via Twitter on @AggieMensGolf.
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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 College Station and Galveston, TX 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.
No. 5 Texas grabbed the first day lead with a 5-under 283, while the Aggies and No. 1 Oklahoma were seven strokes back at 2-over. Rounding out the top 10 teams were Louisville (+4), Houston (+7), North Texas (+9), No. 25 Texas Tech (+10), Baylor (+10), Nebraska (+10), UTSA (+12) and Rice (+12). On the individual leaderboard, Pierceson Coody of Texas took the first day lead with a 6-under 66.
The Aggies were led by junior Sam Bennett and freshman Daniel Rodrigues, who both carded under par rounds. Bennett continued his strong play with a bogey-free 4-under 68 that put him third in the individual standings, while Rodrigues was tied for fifth after posting a 2-under 70. Other Aggies contributing counting scores were senior Dan Erickson and sophomore William Paysse with 4-over 76s, which were good for a tie for 42nd.
Senior Brandon Smith, playing a non-scoring individual, tallied an even-par 72 and was tied for 12th.
Head Coach Brian Kortan said:
"It was a good first round for us. Danny (Rodrigues) and Sammy (Bennett) did a really good job. They were under par for most of the day. The team battled like they always do. We need to be a little cleaner tomorrow and eliminate a few of the mistakes that we made today. We had some penalty shots and just getting the ball out of position, but, all in all, it was nice to get the first round in the books, work some nerves out and get ready for the second round."
(How the first round went after hail storm on Thursday night) "I thought things went great today. There's a lot of really good golf programs here. Traditions Club and all the support we have to run the tournament, it really shows well. We put a lot of effort into it and we're proud of the event. To be playing golf out here today after the storm last night was awesome and I can't say enough the Traditions crew because they did some great work to get us on the golf course today."
Aggies on the Leaderboard (Rd. 1):
| Place | Team/Player | Rd. 1 |
| T2 | Texas A&M | 290 |
| 3 | Sam Bennett | 68 |
| T5 | Daniel Rodrigues | 70 |
| T42 | Dan Erickson | 76 |
| T42 | William Paysse | 76 |
| T71 | Walker Lee | 79 |
Other Aggies:
| T12 | Brandon Smith (Ind.) | 72 |
| T35 | Jimmy Lee (Ind.) | 75 |
| T62 | Matthew Denton (Ind.) | 78 |
Follow the Action:
Fans can follow the action at Golfstat.com, and updates will be available via Twitter on @AggieMensGolf.
###
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 College Station and Galveston, TX 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.