OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – The No. 16 Texas A&M men's golf team is wasting no time getting back onto the greens as they head to Illinois for the 20th annual OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club.
Tournament Information
Dates: Friday, Sept. 18 – Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 (Sunday if necessary)
Location: Olympia Fields, Ill.
Host: University of Illinois
Course: Olympia Fields | South Course
Course Par/Yardage: Par 70 / 7,215 yards
Format: Friday (36 holes), Saturday (18 holes)
Live Scoring/Tee Times: Live Scores
About The Event
Fighting Illini Invitational is in its 20th season and remains one of the most prestigious events in collegiate golf. Played at Olympia Fields Country Club, the OFCC is one of just 10 golf courses to have hosted multiple U.S. Opens and PGA Championships. The par-70, 7,215-yard South Course is a pristine parkland course featuring tree-lined fairways and challenging bunkers.
The Field (Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Rankings)
Florida (1)
Oklahoma State (3)
Arizona State (4)
Texas Tech (5)
LSU (9)
Illinois (12)
Pepperdine (13)
Texas A&M (16)
Alabama (18)
Stanford (19)
Florida State (20)
Georgia Tech (25)
Baylor
Northwestern
UNLV
Texas A&M Lineup
No. 1 – Aaron Pounds
No. 2 – Wheaton Ennis
No. 3 – Shiv Parmar
No. 4 – Landon Ashcraft
No. 5 – Kris Kuvaas
Schedule of Events
Friday: Tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. – 36 continuous holes
Saturday: Tee times starting at 8:00 a.m. – 18 holes
Sunday: If necessary
Note: Due to rainy weather, the schedule has been adjusted from the original 3-day event. Teams will now play 36 continuous holes on Friday, with tee times moved up 30 minutes to start at 7:30 a.m. CT. Round 3 will be scheduled for 8 a.m. CT tee times on Saturday and will roll into Sunday if necessary.
The Course
Olympia Fields Country Club is one of just 10 golf courses to host multiple U.S. Opens and PGA Championships. It is home to the par-70, 7,215-yard South Course, a pristine parkland layout featuring tree-lined fairways and challenging bunkers. The club has hosted the U.S. Amateur (2015), two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003), two PGA Championships (1925, 1961), a U.S. Senior Open (1997), and five Western Opens between 2020 and 2023, and now, in its 20th season, welcomes the nation's top teams to the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, played in 2026 on the South Course for the first time due to renovations on the North Course.
Roster/Team Notes
- The 2026-27 Texas A&M roster is made up of nine players, five from the state of Texas, two from Arizona, and one each from Florida and Idaho. All but the two freshmen were on the Aggies' roster last season.
- The Aggies return seven guys from last year’s roster. The returners include four seniors: Jake Maggert (Texas), Kris Kuvass (Texas), Aaron Pounds (Texas) and Jack Usner (Texas); two juniors: Wheaton Ennis (Idaho) and Alex Long (Florida); a sophomore: Shiv Parmar (Texas); two freshmen: Landon Ashcraft (Arizona) and Owen Bolles (Arizona).
- The roster is headlined by three players who were ranked inside the final top 100 of the SCOREBOARD Rankings powered by Clippd from last season: Wheaton Ennis No. 29, Aaron Pounds No. 63 and Shiv Parmar No. 81.
- The Aggies found themselves ranked in the top 20 in three preseason rankings: Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches poll – 16th, Golf Channel poll – 16th, Golfweek poll – 18th. Official rankings will be released in mid-October by SCOREBOARD Powered by Clippd.
- Two Aggies enter the 2026-27 season ranked inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR): Wheaton Ennis is ranked 52nd while Aaron Pounds is ranked 89th.
- Ennis was named a preseason Third Team All-American by both Golfweek and Golf Channel.
- This year’s squad will look to continue building upon the program’s national success. Last season, the Aggies qualified for their 10th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance. It was the Aggies' 51st postseason appearance in program history and their 22nd appearance in the last 23 seasons. They advanced to the NCAA Championship for the fifth straight year, and the seventh time in the last eight campaigns. Last season’s squad also won three tournaments for the second consecutive season. The events they won were: 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational, Steelwood Collegiate and Louisiana Classics. They also finished runner-up at the NCAA Bryan Regional and the John A. Burns Intercollegiate and third at the Marquette Intercollegiate, SeaBest Invitational and Tar Heel Invitational.
- Head coach Brian Kortan enters his seventh season at the helm of the Texas A&M program. Under his guidance, the Aggies have won 16 tournaments.
- On June 8, Matt Fast was promoted to Associate Head Coach. Fast enters his sixth season on the men’s golf staff.
Inside The Lineup
1) Aaron Pounds – Senior – The Woodlands, Texas
Last season: 70.92 stroke avg. 3 rounds
• Named to the Fred Haskins Award Watch List in 2025 and earned SEC Golfer of the Week honors twice during the 2025-26 season
• Finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 63 nationally with a 69.23 adjusted scoring average over 42 rounds
• Claimed medalist honors at the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational in September 2025 and fired a career-best 65 at the Sea Best Invitational
• Last time out – finished 4-over 220 at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (74-71-75)
2) Wheaton Ennis – Junior – Eagle, Idaho
Last season: 70.50 stroke avg. 3 rounds
• Earned GCAA All-Freshman, SEC All-Freshman and PING All-Central Region honors in 2025, while also receiving All-America Honorable Mention recognition and three SEC Freshman of the Week awards
• Finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 29 nationally with a 68.83 adjusted scoring average over 41 rounds
• Recorded his best collegiate tournament finish with a T-3rd at the 2026 Valspar Collegiate, finishing at 16-under 197
• Last time out – finished 16-under 200 at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (71-70-70)
2) Shiv Parmar – Sophomore – Selma, Texas
Last season: 70.56 stroke avg. 3 rounds
• Earned PING All-Central Region Team and SEC All-Freshman honors in 2025-26, while also earning SEC Freshman of the Week recognition
• Finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 81 nationally with a 69.55 adjusted scoring average over 31 rounds
• Recorded four top-10 finishes and three top-20 finishes in 11 tournaments during his freshman campaign
• Last time out – finished 6-under 210 at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (69-73-68)
4) Landon Ashcraft – Freshman – Chandler, Arizona
Last season: n/a
• Ranked No. 1 in Arizona, No. 17 nationally and No. 15 in the Class of 2026
• Became the first Arizona high school golfer to win three consecutive individual state titles at Notre Dame Prep
• Won the 2026 Saguaro Amateur and was named the 2025-26 Saguaro Amateur Series Player of the Year
• Claimed the 53rd Junior Americas Cup by nine strokes while leading Team Arizona to the team title; also won the 2025 Agave Amateur and 2024 PING Jr. Masters
• Last time out – finished 10-over 226 at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (76-75-75)
5) Kris Kuvaas – Senior – Houston, Texas
Last season: 73.10 stroke avg. 3 rounds
• Earned All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition in 2025
• Finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 296 nationally with a 71.06 adjusted scoring average over 33 rounds
• Fired a career-best 65 at the 2025 WCC Men’s Golf Championship and owns three career top-10 finishes, including two collegiate victories
• Last time out – finished 6-over 222 at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (71-73-78)
Weather Forecast (Accuweather.com)
The weekend starts mild and mostly sunny on Friday (77/63), turns warmer, more humid and stormier on Saturday (84/64, 60% chance of rain), then cools back down on Sunday (70/61) with lingering humidity and afternoon thunderstorms.
What’s Next For The Aggies
Sept. 21-22: Bayou City Collegiate Classic
Houston, Texas / Westwood Golf Course (Individuals only)
Oct. 4-5: Fighting Irish Classic
Notre Dame, Ind. / Warren Golf Course
Oct. 19-20: Abilene Christian Intercollegiate
Granbury, Texas / Halbert National Golf Course
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men’s golf. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men’s golf team on Facebook, Instagram, and X by following @AggieMensGolf.
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