TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: NCAA Division I Championships

Thomas Dugger Dick  |  Assistant Communications Director – 12thman.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies battle the best in search of their second national title at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships from Friday to Wednesday.

Hosted by Arizona State, the site of the NCAA Championships is Grayhawk Golf Club on the par-70, 7,289-yard Raptor Course. The tournament features both stroke and match play. All 30 teams embark on stroke play the first three days. The field is cut down to 15 teams for the final round of stroke play on Monday. The top eight teams advance to the match play bracket with the quarterfinals and semifinals contested Tuesday and the national champion decided Monday.

The individual NCAA champion is crowned based on the four rounds of stroke play. The medalist earns a spot in the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

The Aggies won the national championship in 2009, besting Arkansas in the title bout.

The current NCAA Championship format of stroke play funneling into an eight-team match play bracket started in 2009. In addition to their 2009 title run, the Aggies also participated in the match play portion of the tournament in 2018 and 2019. The Aggies also have top-5 finishes in 1961 (5^th) and 1982 (4^th) when the tournament was only stroke play.

Texas A&M fields a formidable lineup including All-SEC nods Sam Bennett and William Paysse. This season, Bennett was the Masters Tournament low amateur and 122^nd U.S. Amateur champion along with earning a victory at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate. Paysse owns a season-opening win at the Badger Invitational. The fivesome is rounded out by Daniel Rodrigues, Phichaksn Maichon and Vishnu Sadagopan with Jaime Montojo serving as the reserve.

 

In what figures to be one of the fiercest NCAA Championships in recent history, the 21 of the teams in the Golfstat Rankings Top 25 survived regionals to make the 30-team field. The SEC boasts the largest contingent with eight squads participating.

Texas A&M has four victories in the 2022-23 campaign, including the Badger Invitational, the Blessings Collegiate Invitational, the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate and the Louisiana Classics.

The Aggies’ start times are set for the first two rounds of action. The first round has the Maroon & White teeing off on hole No. 10 at 2:25 p.m. Central on Friday, paired with Alabama and Virginia. The same teams are in the morning wave for Saturday’s second round with their action starting at 9:05 a.m. Central on hole No. 1.

The final round of stroke play along with all of the match play airs on Golf Channel.

 

Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com.

THE FIELD (GOLFSTAT RANKINGS)

Vanderbilt (1)	Georgia Tech (11)	Georgia (25)
North Carolina (2)	Auburn (12)	Arkansas (28)
Illinois (3)	Texas A&M (14)	Baylor (30)
Arizona State (4)	Alabama (15)	Duke (33)
Texas Tech (5)	Virginia (16)	East Tennessee State (35)
Stanford (6)	Texas (17)	Brigham Young (37)
Florida State (7)	Mississippi State (18)	San Francisco (40)
Pepperdine (8)	Oregon (19)	Chattanooga (41)
Florida (9)	Colorado State (22)	New Mexico (46)
Oklahoma (10)	Ohio State (23)	Colorado (48)

 

THE LINEUP

Team

Sam Bennett – Senior – Madisonville, Texas

• 122nd United States Amateur Champion – 2022.
• Earned the Silver Cup as the Low Amateur at the Masters Tournament, finishing in 16^th place at 2-under 286 (the first amateur to finish in the top 20 since 2005.
• 2022-23 All-SEC First Team – fourth career All-SEC honor and third time as a first-teamer.
• 2022 PING All-America First Team.
• 2022 SEC Golfer of the Year.
• Boasts a 70.22 stroke average in 2022-23, including -1.22 vs. par in 32 rounds.
• Owns five career collegiate titles, including the John A. Burns Intercollegiate earlier this spring.
• Last time out – tied for 8^th place at the NCAA Salem Regional (11-under 205) and sank birdie putt on No. 18 to send Aggies to 5^th place playoff.

William Paysse – Senior – Belton, Texas

• 2022-23 All-SEC Second Team.
• Earned All-SEC First Team and Freshman All-SEC, as well as PING All-America Honorable Mention and GCAA National All-Freshman in 2020.
• Owns a 71.50 stroke average over eight tournaments in 2022-23, including earning co-medalist honors at the Badger Invitational.
• Boasted three top-10 finishes in 2022-23, including a 3^rd place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.
• Played in 11 tournaments in 2021-22, registering a 72.09 stroke average and seven top-25 finishes.
• Last time out – tied for 55^th place (1 over 217) at the NCAA Salem Regional.

Daniel Rodrigues– Junior – Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

• Owns a 71.20 stroke average in 2022-23, including -0.29 vs. par over a team-high 35 rounds.
• SEC Golfer of the Week on Oct. 14 following his win at the Blessings Intercollegiate (11-under 205).
• Started the 2022-23 campaign with sub-70 scores in six of his first seven.
• Tied for 5^th place at the SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate in the fall.
• Registered a 72.23 stroke average in 10 tournaments in 2021-22, including top 10 finishes at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate (t-4th) and the Louisiana Classics (t-6th).

• Last time out – tied for 27^th place at the NCAA Salem Regional (5-under 211)

Phichaksn Maichon – Sophomore – Bangkok, Thailand

• Owns a 70.33 stroke average in 30 rounds over 10 tournaments in 2022-23, including -1.17 versus par.
• Finished in the top 10 in five of his seven tournaments this spring, including a win at the Bearkat Invitational, a runner-up showing at the Aggie Invitational and a 3^rd place finish at the SEC Championship.
• Earned his first career victory as medalist at the Huntsville Toyota Bearkat Invitational at 11-under 205, picking up SEC Golfer of the Week recognition.
• Competed in 10 tournaments as a freshman in 2021-22, registering a 73.37 stoke average.
• Held the day two lead at the 2022 SEC Championships.

• Last time out – tied for 14^th place at the NCAA Salem Regional (9-unde 207) and sank a 55-foot eagle putt in the 5^th place playoff

Vishnu Sadagopan – Sophomore – Pearland, Texas

• Boasts a 70.76 scoring average in nine tournaments in 2022-23, recording top-10 finishes at the Badger Invitational (t-7^th), the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate (t-5^th) and the Louisiana Classics (t-4^th).
• Earned All-Tournament recognition at the Louisiana Classics, shooting 4-over 217 to finish tied for fourth.
• Participated in the 2022 United States Amateur Championship.
• Played in three events in 2021-22, placing 13^th at the Washington County Invitational in Hartford, Wisconsin.
• Last time out –tied for 34^th place at the NCAA Salem Regional (4-under 212)

Jaime Montojo – Freshman – Madrid, Spain

• Owns a 71.69 stroke average over 26 rounds in 2022-23.
• In fall 2022, placed third in a field of 28 at the Badger Invitational individual tournament with a 1-over 143 at Pleasant View Golf Course.
• Earned SEC Freshman of the Week twice – after an 18th place finish at the Blessings Collegiate invitational and an 8^th place finish at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate.
• Garnered All-Tournament recognition at the Louisiana Classics, shooting 4-over 217 to finish tied for fourth place.

• Last time out – tied for 17^th at the Aggie Invitational (even 216).

 

 

COURSE
The Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club is hosting the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships for the third consecutive year – 13 straight days of action. Prior to this run, no course has ever hosted consecutive NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. Raptor Course, a Tom Fazio design, boasts 40 acres of fairway along with 25 acres of rough. A stiff test, the course is dotted with 62 sand bunkers and has two holes with water in play. Director of Agronomy Ernie Pock is a third-generation course superintendent.

WEATHER FORECAST

Accuweather.com

Friday: 94/69, Plenty of sunshine, S 7-18 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Saturday: 94/69, Plenty of sunshine, S 6-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Sunday: 94/68, Plenty of sunshine, S 7-10 MPH, 1% probability of precipitation.

Monday: 94/67, Plenty of sunshine, SSE 7-16 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Tuesday: 93/68, Brilliant sunshine, S 6-20 MPH, 1% probability of precipitation.

Wednesday: 93/67, Plenty of sunshine, S 8-18 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Weather.com     

Friday: 93/66, Sunny, S 10-15 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Saturday: 93/66, Sunny,  SSW 5-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Sunday: 95/67, Sunny, S 5-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Monday: 95/67, Sunny, S 5-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Tuesday: 93/66, Mostly Sunny, S 5-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.

Wednesday: 92/65, Sunny, S 5-10 MPH, 0% probability of precipitation.