Sam Bennett surged to the top of the leaderboard with a bogey-free 6-under 66.
Photo by: Skylar Lien
Aggies, Bennett Rocket to Lead at Old Waverly
Mar 27, 2021 | Men's Golf
WEST POINT, Miss. – The No. 9 Texas A&M men's golf team rocketed into the lead at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championships with a sparkling 14-under par 274 in second round on Saturday at the Old Waverly Golf Club.
The Aggies started the day in fourth place, but under-par rounds by all four scorers vaulted them to the top of the leaderboard. Texas A&M will go for its second tournament victory of the spring on Sunday, beginning at 9:40 a.m. from the first tee. The Aggies are paired with Georgia and Arkansas.
After two rounds, the Aggies were 17-under par and held a one-stroke advantage over Georgia (-16). Rounding out the top 10 teams were Arkansas (-14), Tennessee (-13), Vanderbilt (-10), LSU (-10), host Mississippi State (-9), Ole Miss (-7), East Tennessee State (-2), Alabama (+1) and Kansas State (+1).
Junior Sam Bennett charged to the top of the individual leaderboard with a bogey-free 6-under 66, which matched his low round as a collegian. At 9-under for the tournament, Bennett takes a two-stroke lead into the final round over Spencer Cross (-7) of Tennessee and a three-stroke advantage over five players tied for third (-6).
Other Aggies carding under-par rounds were seniors Walker Lee and Dan Erickson, who both posted 3-under 69s, and freshman Daniel Rodrigues with a 1-under 71.
After Bennett in the individual standings for the Aggies were Lee in a tie for ninth at 4-under (71-69), Erickson in a tie for 15th at 3-under (72-69), Rodrigues in a tie for 30th at 1-under (73-70), sophomore William Paysse in a tied for 44th at 1-over (75-70) and senior Brandon Smith in a tie for 67th at 5-over (75-74).
Head Coach Brian Kortan said:
"When you're playing in these SEC-loaded fields, you've got to come out ready to play and the guys did a great job of starting fast and were able to keep their momentum throughout the round. Among the four guys that counted scores we only have four bogeys, which is a really low number. After the first round we talked about being cleaner in the second round, more efficient, even stingy, and they did a great job."
"Sam (Bennett) strikes the ball so well, and he's matured so much this season. You can see it in his composure with the way that he's playing. He can string together shots all day, which is what he did today and he made some putts along the way. Dan (Erickson) and Walker (Lee) were in the 60s today and Danny Rodrigues made a couple birdies down the stretch. We're at our best when everyone is contributing and we had all five guys playing well today."
Aggies on the Leaderboard (Rd. 2):
Team Standings (Rd. 2):
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 2018-19 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.
The Aggies started the day in fourth place, but under-par rounds by all four scorers vaulted them to the top of the leaderboard. Texas A&M will go for its second tournament victory of the spring on Sunday, beginning at 9:40 a.m. from the first tee. The Aggies are paired with Georgia and Arkansas.
After two rounds, the Aggies were 17-under par and held a one-stroke advantage over Georgia (-16). Rounding out the top 10 teams were Arkansas (-14), Tennessee (-13), Vanderbilt (-10), LSU (-10), host Mississippi State (-9), Ole Miss (-7), East Tennessee State (-2), Alabama (+1) and Kansas State (+1).
Junior Sam Bennett charged to the top of the individual leaderboard with a bogey-free 6-under 66, which matched his low round as a collegian. At 9-under for the tournament, Bennett takes a two-stroke lead into the final round over Spencer Cross (-7) of Tennessee and a three-stroke advantage over five players tied for third (-6).
Other Aggies carding under-par rounds were seniors Walker Lee and Dan Erickson, who both posted 3-under 69s, and freshman Daniel Rodrigues with a 1-under 71.
After Bennett in the individual standings for the Aggies were Lee in a tie for ninth at 4-under (71-69), Erickson in a tie for 15th at 3-under (72-69), Rodrigues in a tie for 30th at 1-under (73-70), sophomore William Paysse in a tied for 44th at 1-over (75-70) and senior Brandon Smith in a tie for 67th at 5-over (75-74).
Head Coach Brian Kortan said:
"When you're playing in these SEC-loaded fields, you've got to come out ready to play and the guys did a great job of starting fast and were able to keep their momentum throughout the round. Among the four guys that counted scores we only have four bogeys, which is a really low number. After the first round we talked about being cleaner in the second round, more efficient, even stingy, and they did a great job."
"Sam (Bennett) strikes the ball so well, and he's matured so much this season. You can see it in his composure with the way that he's playing. He can string together shots all day, which is what he did today and he made some putts along the way. Dan (Erickson) and Walker (Lee) were in the 60s today and Danny Rodrigues made a couple birdies down the stretch. We're at our best when everyone is contributing and we had all five guys playing well today."
Aggies on the Leaderboard (Rd. 2):
| Place | Team/Player | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total |
| 1 | Texas A&M | 285 | 274 | 559 |
| 1 | Sam Bennett | 69 | 66 | 135 |
| T9 | Walker Lee | 71 | 69 | 140 |
| T15 | Dan Erickson | 72 | 69 | 141 |
| T30 | Daniel Rodrigues | 73 | 70 | 143 |
| T67 | Brandon Smith | 75 | 74 | 149 |
Team Standings (Rd. 2):
| Place | Team | Score | To Par |
| 1 | Texas A&M | 285-274=559 | -17 |
| 2 | Georgia | 283-277=560 | -16 |
| 3 | Arkansas | 293-269=562 | -14 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 286-277=563 | -13 |
| T5 | Vanderbilt | 283-283=566 | -10 |
| T5 | LSU | 281-285=566 | -10 |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 287-280=567 | -9 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 296-273=569 | -7 |
| 9 | East Tennessee St. | 286-288=574 | -2 |
| T10 | Alabama | 297-280=577 | +1 |
| T10 | Kansas State | 289-288=577 | +1 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 290-288=578 | +2 |
| 13 | Southern Mississippi | 295-288=583 | +7 |
| 14 | Little Rock | 296-288=584 | +8 |
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 2018-19 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.
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