LAFAYETTE, La. –The Texas A&M Men’s golf team wrapped up play at the Louisiana Classics Tuesday with a third place showing that saw the Aggies in the hunt for the majority of the three rounds at Oakbourne Country Club.
Texas A&M (278-281-294=853, -11), who held second place heading into the final round, was neck-and-neck with top-ranked Illinois (-15) throughout the event. Kansas (-14) shot into contention on Tuesday making it a three-horse race heading into the final holes. Aggie hopes were dashed when they shot a combined seven-over for the final three holes. The finish sent them four back of the event champion Illini and three behind the Jayhawks.
“Everybody is really disappointed right now,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “That was a really though one to take because we had that tournament. It was ours for the taking, we were in a great spot with three holes to play, but we didn’t handle the situation well. That’s disappointing because we emphasis finishing strong.”
The Aggie’s best performer, Cameron Champ (71-72-69=212, -4), climbed 10 spots on the leaderboard with a final round 69 which topped all competitors on Tuesday. The sophomore’s three birdies on the back nine helped him achieve his best showing as an Aggie by posting a fourth place finish.
A pair of Aggies finished in a tie for seventh at two-under par including freshman Chandler Phillips (67-75-74=214) who secured his first under-par event despite a double on the terminal hole. Senior Adria Arnaus (68-70-76=214, -4) notched his seventh career top-10 finish and was in contention for individual title for most of his outing until shooting three over in his final three holes.
“It’s been a while since we’d been in that situation or given ourselves an opportunity like that.” Higgins added. “We didn’t respond well today this time but I think it was a great learning experience for us. A lot of positives came out of this week that we can build on.”
Rounding out the Aggie’s lineup, seniors Ben Crancer (72-68-79=219) and Andrew Lister (77-71-77=225, +9) finished in a tie for 19th and 47th respectively. Sophomore Andrew Paysse (72-68-79=219, +3), competing as an individual, tied for 19th in the tournament, which included his lowest round as an Aggie.
The next action for the Aggies will come March 5-6 when they head to Scottsdale, Ariz. for the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate.