Friday, October 22
Alpharetta, Ga.
Texas A&M
at
Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate
Photo by: Kate Luffman/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Place Second at Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate
Oct 24, 2021 | Men's Golf
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – The ninth-ranked Texas A&M men's golf team battled in the final round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, and shot a tournament-best 16-under 272 on Sunday to finish second at 38-under.
The 38-under marks the lowest 54-hole tournament score in relation to par in program history.
No. 11 Pepperdine won the team title at 42-under, which set a new tournament record. Wake Forest placed third at 23-under, while Tennessee (-22) and Stanford (-18) rounded out the top five.
"I say it all the time, it is a hard sport to win. It's hard to win golf tournaments. You can play great golf, and someone might have a week a little better than yours. That was kind of how it was," head coach Brian Kortan said. "It was a high-class field with a lot of great programs. To distance ourselves from the third-place team with Pepperdine just shows you how well we played. You can't underestimate how difficult it really is to win a team golf event. So many things have to go right. Pepperdine made two eagles on the last hole to clip us. That is the way that it goes, but I am super proud of this group. William (Paysse) played two great rounds to start the tournament, and Sam (Bennett) and Walker (Lee) again put together some great rounds of golf. Both played a great tournament. You get that kind of stuff from your experienced guys, and that is what you need to be a great team."
Sam Bennett paced the Aggies, and tied for third at 12-under, marking his second top-three finish of the season and seventh of his career. The Madisonville, Texas, native matched his career-low with a 6-under 66. He stormed out of the gates and was 4-under after the first three holes with an eagle on No. 1 followed by back-to-back birdies. Bennett carded another birdie on No. 5, but bogeyed No. 8 to make the turn at 4-under. After a string of eight-consecutive pars, the senior birdied 17 and 18.
Walker Lee placed fifth at 11-under, and shot a 4-under 68 in the closing round. The lefty birdied the opening hole, and finished the front nine at 2-under after a bogey on No. 4 and consecutive birdies on Nos. 8 and 9. On the back nine, Lee birdied No. 11 and 13 prior to a bogey on 14. The Houston native bounced back with a birdie on No. 15 to record his sixth top-five finish of his career.
William Paysse tied for 16th at 5-under. The junior was 2-under after nine with a bogey on No. 4, birdie on hole seven and an eagle on No. 9. On the back nine, he double bogeyed 14 and bogeyed 18 to finish at 1-over. His 16th-place finish marked his seventh-career top-20 finish of his career.
Daniel Rodrigues tied for 29th at 1-under after shooting a 3-under 69. The sophomore quickly moved to 2-under for the round after birdies on two and four, before a birdie on No. 9. On the back nine he moved to 4-under with birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 with a bogey on 12. He closed the round with a bogey on 18 to finish at 3-under.
Michael Heidelbaugh tied for 52nd at 3-over, but was 3-under in the final round. He was 2-over after hole four, but rebounded with back-to-back birdies on five and six prior to another birdie on No. 9. On the back nine, he was bogey-free and carded birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.
The Aggies return to action Jan. 31-Feb. 1 for the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
"Coach (Matt) Fast and I will look back and see how we can get better," Kortan continued. "Overall a great fall. The guys did a great job winning a tournament to open the season, having a chance down the stretch this weekend, and competing with some of the best teams in the country at Maridoe. I'm looking forward to the spring and what we can accomplish together. We will rest a little bit, and get ready for our first event of the spring in January."
For the most up-to-date information on Texas A&M men's golf, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@aggiemensgolf).
The 38-under marks the lowest 54-hole tournament score in relation to par in program history.
No. 11 Pepperdine won the team title at 42-under, which set a new tournament record. Wake Forest placed third at 23-under, while Tennessee (-22) and Stanford (-18) rounded out the top five.
"I say it all the time, it is a hard sport to win. It's hard to win golf tournaments. You can play great golf, and someone might have a week a little better than yours. That was kind of how it was," head coach Brian Kortan said. "It was a high-class field with a lot of great programs. To distance ourselves from the third-place team with Pepperdine just shows you how well we played. You can't underestimate how difficult it really is to win a team golf event. So many things have to go right. Pepperdine made two eagles on the last hole to clip us. That is the way that it goes, but I am super proud of this group. William (Paysse) played two great rounds to start the tournament, and Sam (Bennett) and Walker (Lee) again put together some great rounds of golf. Both played a great tournament. You get that kind of stuff from your experienced guys, and that is what you need to be a great team."
Sam Bennett paced the Aggies, and tied for third at 12-under, marking his second top-three finish of the season and seventh of his career. The Madisonville, Texas, native matched his career-low with a 6-under 66. He stormed out of the gates and was 4-under after the first three holes with an eagle on No. 1 followed by back-to-back birdies. Bennett carded another birdie on No. 5, but bogeyed No. 8 to make the turn at 4-under. After a string of eight-consecutive pars, the senior birdied 17 and 18.
Walker Lee placed fifth at 11-under, and shot a 4-under 68 in the closing round. The lefty birdied the opening hole, and finished the front nine at 2-under after a bogey on No. 4 and consecutive birdies on Nos. 8 and 9. On the back nine, Lee birdied No. 11 and 13 prior to a bogey on 14. The Houston native bounced back with a birdie on No. 15 to record his sixth top-five finish of his career.
William Paysse tied for 16th at 5-under. The junior was 2-under after nine with a bogey on No. 4, birdie on hole seven and an eagle on No. 9. On the back nine, he double bogeyed 14 and bogeyed 18 to finish at 1-over. His 16th-place finish marked his seventh-career top-20 finish of his career.
Daniel Rodrigues tied for 29th at 1-under after shooting a 3-under 69. The sophomore quickly moved to 2-under for the round after birdies on two and four, before a birdie on No. 9. On the back nine he moved to 4-under with birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 with a bogey on 12. He closed the round with a bogey on 18 to finish at 3-under.
Michael Heidelbaugh tied for 52nd at 3-over, but was 3-under in the final round. He was 2-over after hole four, but rebounded with back-to-back birdies on five and six prior to another birdie on No. 9. On the back nine, he was bogey-free and carded birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.
The Aggies return to action Jan. 31-Feb. 1 for the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
"Coach (Matt) Fast and I will look back and see how we can get better," Kortan continued. "Overall a great fall. The guys did a great job winning a tournament to open the season, having a chance down the stretch this weekend, and competing with some of the best teams in the country at Maridoe. I'm looking forward to the spring and what we can accomplish together. We will rest a little bit, and get ready for our first event of the spring in January."
For the most up-to-date information on Texas A&M men's golf, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@aggiemensgolf).
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