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Photo by: Katie Parks / SEC
Heidelbaugh Breaks SEC Championship Opening Round Record
Apr 23, 2025 | Men's Golf
Aggies in second place after day one at Sea Island Golf Club.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Texas A&M standout Michael Heidelbaugh fired a 9-under 61 Wednesday afternoon on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club to set the SEC Men's Golf Championship opening round record.
Heidelbaugh's 61 was three strokes clear of the previous opening round record of 64 set by Florida's Alejandro Tosti in 2017 and matched by Arkansas' Segundo Pinto in 2021 and Tennessee's Caleb Surratt in 2023. His score matched the tournament record round set by Alabama's Bobby Wyatt in the second round of the 2014 championship.
Firing a bogeyless loop at the par-70, 7,005-yard course, Heidelbaugh posted four birdies on the front nine and added five more on the back side, including three in a row on Nos. 13-15. Heidelbaugh's 61 matched Texas A&M's school best set by Sam Bennett at the 2032 John A. Burns Intercollegiate when he recorded an 11-under 61 on the Ocean Course at Hokuala.
Heidelbaugh enters the second round with a three-stroke lead over second-place Josiah Gilbert (-6) of Auburn with South Carolina's Nathan Franks (-5) and Auburn's Cayden Pope (-5) tied for third.
On the team leaderboard, the Aggies are tied with LSU for second place at 9-under 271. They trail first-place Auburn by seven strokes after the tigers registered a 16-under 264. More importantly, with two rounds of stroke play remaining, the Aggies are eight strokes above the cut off to advance to the match play quarterfinals.
Wheaton Ennis and Phichaksn Maichon are tied for 21st place at 1-under 69. Ennis had a steady round with 15 par holes to go with two birdies and one bogey. Maichon was saddled with a 1-over on the front nine, but hit on four birdies in a five-hole span from Nos. 11-15 on the back nine.
The Aggie fivesome was rounded out by Aaron Pounds at 2-over 72 and Jaime Montojo at 4-over 74.
UP NEXT...
Texas A&M's is paired with Auburn and LSU for Thursday's second round with tee times starting at 7 a.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Brian Kortan
On Michael Heidelbaugh's record-setting round…
"The lowest round in school history and the lowest round ever at this tournament. Michael's had some really nice rounds for us this semester. He's shot some really good scores in the 60s. He's getting more comfortable in those situations. 61s don't just happen. You must execute at a high level for 18 holes and that's what we strive for as golfers. I'm really proud of him for that and he knows that was huge for us. And that's why he does it. He does it for us. I'm grateful for those kinds of efforts. But we know the tournament is far from over."
On Heidelbaugh's round giving the Aggies some cushion while the entire lineup wasn't playing its best golf...
"Everybody played pretty well. We were all in it. Jaime (Montojo) makes a bad swing on his last hole and it cost him there. Other than that we are all around par. They didn't have their best stuff, but they all fought hard for some good rounds. Michael's round has to help and has to calm some guys. But in the scheme of things we've still got 36 holes to put this deal together to have a chance to advance to match play."
TEAM STANDINGS
TEXAS A&M SCORES
Heidelbaugh's 61 was three strokes clear of the previous opening round record of 64 set by Florida's Alejandro Tosti in 2017 and matched by Arkansas' Segundo Pinto in 2021 and Tennessee's Caleb Surratt in 2023. His score matched the tournament record round set by Alabama's Bobby Wyatt in the second round of the 2014 championship.
Firing a bogeyless loop at the par-70, 7,005-yard course, Heidelbaugh posted four birdies on the front nine and added five more on the back side, including three in a row on Nos. 13-15. Heidelbaugh's 61 matched Texas A&M's school best set by Sam Bennett at the 2032 John A. Burns Intercollegiate when he recorded an 11-under 61 on the Ocean Course at Hokuala.
Heidelbaugh enters the second round with a three-stroke lead over second-place Josiah Gilbert (-6) of Auburn with South Carolina's Nathan Franks (-5) and Auburn's Cayden Pope (-5) tied for third.
On the team leaderboard, the Aggies are tied with LSU for second place at 9-under 271. They trail first-place Auburn by seven strokes after the tigers registered a 16-under 264. More importantly, with two rounds of stroke play remaining, the Aggies are eight strokes above the cut off to advance to the match play quarterfinals.
Wheaton Ennis and Phichaksn Maichon are tied for 21st place at 1-under 69. Ennis had a steady round with 15 par holes to go with two birdies and one bogey. Maichon was saddled with a 1-over on the front nine, but hit on four birdies in a five-hole span from Nos. 11-15 on the back nine.
The Aggie fivesome was rounded out by Aaron Pounds at 2-over 72 and Jaime Montojo at 4-over 74.
UP NEXT...
Texas A&M's is paired with Auburn and LSU for Thursday's second round with tee times starting at 7 a.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Brian Kortan
On Michael Heidelbaugh's record-setting round…
"The lowest round in school history and the lowest round ever at this tournament. Michael's had some really nice rounds for us this semester. He's shot some really good scores in the 60s. He's getting more comfortable in those situations. 61s don't just happen. You must execute at a high level for 18 holes and that's what we strive for as golfers. I'm really proud of him for that and he knows that was huge for us. And that's why he does it. He does it for us. I'm grateful for those kinds of efforts. But we know the tournament is far from over."
On Heidelbaugh's round giving the Aggies some cushion while the entire lineup wasn't playing its best golf...
"Everybody played pretty well. We were all in it. Jaime (Montojo) makes a bad swing on his last hole and it cost him there. Other than that we are all around par. They didn't have their best stuff, but they all fought hard for some good rounds. Michael's round has to help and has to calm some guys. But in the scheme of things we've still got 36 holes to put this deal together to have a chance to advance to match play."
TEAM STANDINGS
| 1 | Auburn | -16 | 264 |
| t-2 | Texas A&M | -9 | 271 |
| t-2 | LSU | -9 | 271 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | -6 | 274 |
| 5 | Florida | -5 | 275 |
| 6 | Georgia | -4 | 276 |
| 7 | South Carolina | -3 | 277 |
| t-8 | Alabama | -1 | 279 |
| t-8 | Mississippi State | -1 | 279 |
| t-10 | Arkansas | +1 | 281 |
| t-10 | Kentucky | +1 | 281 |
| t-10 | Ole Miss | +1 | 281 |
| 13 | Missouri | +3 | 283 |
| t-14 | Tennessee | +6 | 286 |
| t-14 | Texas | +6 | 286 |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | +12 | 292 |
TEXAS A&M SCORES
| TEAM | |||
| 1 | Michael Heidelbaugh | -9 | 61 |
| t-21 | Wheaton Ennis | -1 | 69 |
| t-21 | Phichaksn Maichon | -1 | 69 |
| t-52 | Aaron Pounds | +2 | 72 |
| t-70 | Jaime Montojo | +4 | 74 |
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