HARTFORD, Wis. – The No. 16 Texas A&M men's golf team tees off the 2021-22 season at the Marquette Intercollegiate held at the illustrious Erin Hills, the site of the 2017 U.S. Open Championship, Sunday through Tuesday.
Joining the Aggies are No. 24 Notre Dame, No. 25 Liberty, East Tennessee State, Houston, Iowa, Kansas, Marquette, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, South Florida, UC Davis, USC and Wisconsin.
"We return a really good group of guys, and added a couple talented freshmen to it," second-year head coach Brian Kortan said. "They are really excited to get going. They are excited to go to Erin Hills. They're a close bunch and they love to compete. We do the things we do well at home, and if we can take that on the road, we will be successful. We just have to continue to do the things that make us a good team, which is taking care of the golf ball, handling adversity, having a good attitude and being ready to compete each and every day. We are playing against some of the best teams in the country every time we tee it up."
The Maroon & White tee off at 10:40 a.m. on hole 10 and are paired with Liberty and Marquette individuals. Competing for Texas A&M are Sam Bennett, Walker Lee, Daniel Rodrigues, Michael Heidelbaugh and Phichaksn Maichon.
Bennett, a member of the Fred Haskins Award Watch List, is coming off a stellar 2020-21 campaign in which the Madisonville, Texas, native won three individual titles and was named a PING First Team All-American. He finished the season with a 70.53 scoring average, which is the second-lowest in school history.
"I'm excited about this team, and we've been working hard in preparation for the season. We had two team wins last season and we were in contention in a couple others. Hopefully we can build on that momentum in 2021-22," Bennett said. "Coach (Matt) Fast has been a great addition to the team and he's helped me a lot with my game. I'm excited about my senior season and hopefully I can get a few more wins."
Lee appeared in 10 tournaments last season, posting an average score of 73.07. He recorded a top-10 finish at the Border Olympics last season, and tallied top 30 finishes at The Blessings Intercollegiate, Cabo Collegiate and Old Waverly Collegiate. The Houston, Texas, native has experience playing at Erin Hills as he competed in the 2017 U.S. Open.
"I am excited. We have a young team this season, and anyone can make the team at any given point," Lee said. "I am excited see what happens. For me personally, I played in the U.S. Open there and came in dead last, so I am just trying to beat someone this trip. It is the first tournament of the year and this is a good course. It is a hard course, so it will be fun."
Rodrigues looks to build off his stellar freshman campaign that saw the Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, native voted to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Rodrigues appeared in eight tournaments and held an average score of 73.19. He registered back-to-back top-20 finishes at the Old Waverly Collegiate and The Aggie Invitational.
Heidelbaugh and Maichon are making their first appearance donning the Maroon & White. Heidelbaugh, who redshirted last season, was ranked as the No. 1 player in Texas and No. 20 nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard in the class of 2020. Maichon, a freshman from Bangkok, Thailand, advanced to match play at the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, and made the cut at the 2020 California State Open at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta.
"Michael and Phichaksn are two really good players," Kortan added. "We haven't seen them in competition in quite a while. Michael played well in the summer in a few events. Phichaksn came from Thailand, and they have had some issues with COVID, so he hasn't been back to the States since his official visit a few years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing those guys."
Additionally, Dallas Hankamer, William Paysse and Vishnu Sadagopan are set to compete at the Washington County Invitational, held at Washington County Golf Course. The two-round individual event is scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
Live scoring for the Marquette Intercollegiate can be found online via Golfstat here.
For the most up-to-date information on Texas A&M men's golf, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@aggiemensgolf).
Joining the Aggies are No. 24 Notre Dame, No. 25 Liberty, East Tennessee State, Houston, Iowa, Kansas, Marquette, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, South Florida, UC Davis, USC and Wisconsin.
"We return a really good group of guys, and added a couple talented freshmen to it," second-year head coach Brian Kortan said. "They are really excited to get going. They are excited to go to Erin Hills. They're a close bunch and they love to compete. We do the things we do well at home, and if we can take that on the road, we will be successful. We just have to continue to do the things that make us a good team, which is taking care of the golf ball, handling adversity, having a good attitude and being ready to compete each and every day. We are playing against some of the best teams in the country every time we tee it up."
The Maroon & White tee off at 10:40 a.m. on hole 10 and are paired with Liberty and Marquette individuals. Competing for Texas A&M are Sam Bennett, Walker Lee, Daniel Rodrigues, Michael Heidelbaugh and Phichaksn Maichon.
Bennett, a member of the Fred Haskins Award Watch List, is coming off a stellar 2020-21 campaign in which the Madisonville, Texas, native won three individual titles and was named a PING First Team All-American. He finished the season with a 70.53 scoring average, which is the second-lowest in school history.
"I'm excited about this team, and we've been working hard in preparation for the season. We had two team wins last season and we were in contention in a couple others. Hopefully we can build on that momentum in 2021-22," Bennett said. "Coach (Matt) Fast has been a great addition to the team and he's helped me a lot with my game. I'm excited about my senior season and hopefully I can get a few more wins."
Lee appeared in 10 tournaments last season, posting an average score of 73.07. He recorded a top-10 finish at the Border Olympics last season, and tallied top 30 finishes at The Blessings Intercollegiate, Cabo Collegiate and Old Waverly Collegiate. The Houston, Texas, native has experience playing at Erin Hills as he competed in the 2017 U.S. Open.
"I am excited. We have a young team this season, and anyone can make the team at any given point," Lee said. "I am excited see what happens. For me personally, I played in the U.S. Open there and came in dead last, so I am just trying to beat someone this trip. It is the first tournament of the year and this is a good course. It is a hard course, so it will be fun."
Rodrigues looks to build off his stellar freshman campaign that saw the Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, native voted to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Rodrigues appeared in eight tournaments and held an average score of 73.19. He registered back-to-back top-20 finishes at the Old Waverly Collegiate and The Aggie Invitational.
Heidelbaugh and Maichon are making their first appearance donning the Maroon & White. Heidelbaugh, who redshirted last season, was ranked as the No. 1 player in Texas and No. 20 nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard in the class of 2020. Maichon, a freshman from Bangkok, Thailand, advanced to match play at the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, and made the cut at the 2020 California State Open at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta.
"Michael and Phichaksn are two really good players," Kortan added. "We haven't seen them in competition in quite a while. Michael played well in the summer in a few events. Phichaksn came from Thailand, and they have had some issues with COVID, so he hasn't been back to the States since his official visit a few years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing those guys."
Additionally, Dallas Hankamer, William Paysse and Vishnu Sadagopan are set to compete at the Washington County Invitational, held at Washington County Golf Course. The two-round individual event is scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
Live scoring for the Marquette Intercollegiate can be found online via Golfstat here.
For the most up-to-date information on Texas A&M men's golf, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@aggiemensgolf).