Credit to Thomas Dugger Dick | Assistant Communications Director – 12thman.com
LIHU’E, Hawai’i – The Texas A&M men’s golf team continues the spring slate Thursday at the 47th annual John A. Burns Intercollegiate. The par-72, 7,156-yard Ocean Course at Hōkūala is site of the three-day, 54-hole tournament.
Texas A&M trots out a formidable lineup headlined by senior Daniel Rodrigues who enters the fray with back-to-back top five finishes and three consecutive top 10 results. He is joined by Michael Heidelbaugh, Phichaksn Maichon, Aaron Pounds and Jaime Montojo in the Aggie fivesome. Vishnu Sadagopan and Joe Stover test their mettle as individuals in the field.
At last year’s edition, Sam Bennett fired an 11-under 61 in the third round to cut a five-stroke deficit and claim a share of medalist honors. He tamed the course with birdies on 10 of the first 13 holes in his final round. Bennett clinched a share of the top spot by sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole to post the lowest score in Texas A&M history. The Aggies finished third at the event behind BYU and Arizona.
Texas A&M owns a pair of titles at the Burns Intercollegiate, winning the tournament in 2009 and 2018. Aggie golfers earned medalist honors at the event on four occasions. In addition to Bennett, Chandler Phillips claimed back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 while Andrea Pavan and John Hurley won trophies in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The tournament is named for John A. Burns, the governor of Hawai’i from 1962-74. Tiger Woods (1996) and Sam Bennett (2023) headlines the list of former medalists at the event. Other victors who have gone on to win tournaments on the PGA Tour include Steve Pate (1983), Notah Begay (1995), Bo Van Pelt (1997) and Ryan Moore (2005).
The 20-team field has a strong west coast flavor. Five Pac 12 entries include Arizona, Cal, USC, Utah and Washington State. Mountain West Conference entries include Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. The tournament features six teams in the top 40 of the CLIPPD National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
Action starts all three days with shotgun starts slated for 12:30 p.m. Live scoring is available at SMART Golf.
THE FIELD (CLIPPD RANKING)
Texas A&M (30)
Arizona (9)
New Mexico (19)
California (20)
San Diego State (33)
Brigham Young (39)
Fresno State (47)
Long Beach State (49)
UNLV (51)
San Francisco (61)
Washington State (63)
Little Rock (71)
Saint Mary’s (84)
Grand Canyon (91)
USC (92)
Utah (103)
UTEP (115)
Georgia Southern (126)
Hawaii (143)
UC Santa Barbara (180)
THE LINEUP
Team
Daniel Rodrigues – Senior – Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
Enters play with back-to-back top five finishes and three consecutive top 10 results.
PING/GCAA Division I All-America Honorable Mention in 2023.
Finished t-4 at the 2023 European Amateur Championship in Parnu, Estonia.
Advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2023 Amateur Championship at Hillside Golf Club in Southport, England.
Claimed medalist honors at the 2022 Blessings Collegiate Invitational with a three-round tally of 11-under 206, earning SEC Golfer of the Week.
Earned SEC All-Freshman Team in 2020-21.
Last time out – finished t-5 at the Arizona N.I.T. with a career-best 15-under 201 (70-66-65).
Michael Heidelbaugh – Junior – Dallas, Texas
Registered a 71.36 scoring average, including a -0.43 vs. par in 2022-23.
Earned a spot on the 2023 SEC Community Service Team.
Picked up Srixon/Cleveland All-America Scholar (2022) and GCAA All-America Scholar (2023) the last two years.
Recorded top 12 finishes at the Badger Invitational and Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate in 2022-23.
Last time out – finished t-46 at the Arizona N.I.T. with a 4-under 212 (69-71-72).
Phichaksn Maichon – Junior – Bangkok, Thailand
PING/GCAA Division I All-America Honorable Mention in 2023.
PING All-Central Region in 2023.
Won the 2023 Huntsville Toyota Bearkat Invitational with a three-round tally of 11-under 205, including a 67 in the final round.
Finished t-11th at the NCAA Championships and t-14th at the NCAA Salem Regional.
Capped off string of three consecutive top-three finishes with a third place showing at the 2023 SEC Championships.
Last time out – finished t-21 at the Arizona N.I.T., posting a 9-under 207 (72-71-64) with a collegiate career-best score in the third round.
Aaron Pounds – Freshman – The Woodlands, Texas
Twice named an AJGA Rolex Junior All-American and was slotted as No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class.
Selected the 2021-22 All-USA Today National High School Boys Golfer of the Year and was finalist for the award in 2022-23.
Ended 2022-23 ranked No. 2 in the PGA High School Golf Association Player Rankings after topping the list in 2021-22.
Advanced to the Round of 32 at the USGA Amateur Four-Ball Championship teamed with Jack Usner in 2022 and 2023.
Qualified for the 2022 USGA Junior Amateur.
Last time out – finished t-91 at Arizona N.I.T. with a 9-over 225 (75-74-76).
Jaime Montojo – Sophomore – Madrid, Spain
Made his DP World Tour debut last October in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.
Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week in 2022-23, registering a 71.93 scoring average, including 0.57 vs. par in 28 rounds.
Played a key role in Spain’s 4-3 victory over Denmark to win the 2023 European Amateur Team Championship in Epilanges, Switzerland – winning the clinching match 2&1.
Made a late charge to finish t-13th at the 2023 European Amateur Championship in Parnu, Estonia.
Qualified for the match play portion of the 2023 Amateur Championship, bowing out in the round of 64.
Last time out – finished t-41 at Arizona N.I.T. with a 5-under 211 (72-71-68).
INDIVIDUAL
Vishnu Sadagopan – Junior – Pearland, Texas
2023 PING All-Central Region in 2023.
Earned GCAA All-America Scholar in 2023 and made the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2022 and 2023.
Participated in the U.S. Amateur in 2022, coming up just two strokes shy of match play.
Posted three top 10 finishes in 2022-23, including earning All-Tournament recognition at the Louisiana Classics with a t-4 showing.
Carded a 71.03 scoring average, including -0.26 vs. par in 31 rounds over 11 tournaments.
Last time out – finished t-93 at the Arizona N.I.T. with an 11-over 227 (77-72-78).
Joe Stover – Redshirt Freshman – Dallas, Texas
Tied for eighth place at the 2023 Texas Amateur, posting the final round’s best score with a 68.
Finished runner-up at the Insperity Invitational / Patrick Reed AJGA Junior Championship in 2022, firing 11 birdies en route to a 1-under 216.
Paced Highland Park High School to a Texas Class 5A state runner-up finish his senior season.
Recorded five top-seven finishes in nine events during the summer of 2021, including a t-3 at the Stewart Cink Championship by Transamerica.
Helped lead Highland Park to its 22nd UIL Class 5A state title in 2021.
Last time out – made his collegiate debut at the Furman Intercollegiate, finishing t-24 with a 2-over 215 (75-69-71), moving up 12 spots the final day.
COURSE
Home of the longest continuous stretch of oceanfront holes in Hawai’i, the Ocean Course at Hōkūala was named of the World’s Most Beautiful Golf Courses by MSN Travel. The front nine meanders through groves of mango and guava trees while the back nine has holes running along the Pacific Ocean and adjacent lagoons. Formerly a 27-hole track, the Jack Nicklaus Signature design was overhauled in 2015 and shortened to include the best 18 holes from the original layout.
WEATHER FORECAST
Accuweather.com
Thursday: 77/65, considerable cloudiness with a couple of showers in the afternoon, N 12-15 mph with gusts up to 27 mph, 60% probability of precipitation, 16% probability of thunderstorms.
Friday: 75/64, mostly cloudy and breezy; occasional morning rain and drizzle followed by a shower in spots in the afternoon, NNE 15-18 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, 83% probability of precipitation, 17% probability of thunderstorms.
Saturday: 76/66, partly cloudy and breezy, NNE 15-18 mph with gusts up to 29 mph, 25% probability of precipitation, 6% probability of thunderstorms.