After leading through two rounds at the Furman Intercollegiate on Saturday, the No. 18 Texas A&M men’s golf team looked like it had been struck by a case of Sunday scaries when it lost its advantage entering the third round’s final four holes in Greenville, South Carolina.
But the Aggies flipped the script with the 15th hole at The Furman Golf Club, with the team’s five golfers totaling a 6-under score on the hole as senior Phichaksn Maichon and sophomore Jack Usner notched eagles. It was enough for A&M to jump host Furman for the lead, and it held on for a 23-under 829, first-place finish to wrap up the fall schedule.
It was a group effort for the Aggies with three golfers finishing among the top five individuals. Maichon carded an 8-under 205 for sole possession of second place while sophomore Aaron Pounds was breathing down his neck in a tie for third at 7-under 206. Texas transfer Jacob Sosa, competing individually, tied for fifth at 6-under 207.
“When we leave town, we want to win golf tournaments,” coach Brian Kortan said in a press release. “So obviously when we came here our intention was to win. The guys did a heck of a job this week. And we finished it off with a strong back nine. We were behind a handful of shots with eight or nine holes to play and the guys made a bunch of shots and dug deep.”
Usner redeemed himself on No. 15 after bogeying on the previous hole. Freshman Wheaton Ennis and senior Michael Heidelbaugh added birdies on the par-15. A&M added three bogeys and just one birdie through the remaining three holes, but it was enough to keep second-place Furman at bay on the Paladins’ home course.
“That was obviously huge,” Kortan said. “It was a par-5 that was playing a little bit short today. The guys all hit great tee balls and drove it in the fairway. That was a good momentum deal for us. We were the only team driving it in that fairway. It’s a tough fairway to hit, but we had five balls in the fairway. That gives us a really good chance to be successful.”
Despite finishing in a tie for just 28th place at 2-over 215, Heidelbaugh powered the Aggies to a strong finish with a team-best 5-under 66. The Dallas product got off to a rough start with a 6-over 77 in the first round but improved to shoot a 1-over 72 in the second. He continued his momentum through Sunday.
“It was a great round,” Kortan said. “It’s the kind of round you need to get from your guys with experience. He and P [Maichon] are the ones with the most experience for us. He played a great round from the first hole to the last, and he birdied the last hole as the first guy coming in which gave us a boost. That’s what you need from leadership guys. Mike is definitely that.”
Like Heidelbaugh, Usner showed steady improvement throughout the tournament to tie for 23rd with an even 213. He bettered his performance by two strokes through each round to log a 2-under 69 on Sunday.
With a 3-over 74 in the second round after opening with a 3-under 69, Ennis righted the ship in the third at 2-under 69, good for a tie for 13th at 2-under 211. Junior Jaime Montojo joined Heidelbaugh in 28th with an individual performance that culminated with a 3-under 68 in the final round.
A&M captured the title two strokes ahead of Furman and four strokes ahead of Wake Forest in third place. The 15-team field was comprised primarily of mid-major programs, and there was a 26-stroke gap between the Demon Deacons and fourth-place Richmond.
The Aggies led from the get-go, posting a 10-under 274 in the opening round thanks to eight birdies and a 6-under 65 showing by Maichon. Pounds and Ennis followed as they each posted a 3-under 68, with Pounds compensating for a pair of bogeys with an eagle on hole No. 2.
Maichon and Pounds remained under par in the second round with five birdies each at 1-under 70 and 3-under 68, respectively. Sosa displayed a six-stroke improvement from the first round to the second, ending Saturday with a 6-under 65 score and six birdies.
“He had a lot of good shots,” Kortan said of Sosa on Saturday. “Jacob knows how to score the golf ball. He’s an experienced guy who has had a good bit of success, so it was good to see him do that.”
A&M finished the tournament how it started with another 10-under 274 group showing in the final round, as no Aggie finished higher in the third round than Sosa’s even par. Maichon carded another 1-under 70 on Sunday, but Wake Forest senior Scotty Kennon’s 5-under 66 powered him to first place at 11-under 202.
“I really like who we are,” Kortan said. “I like our guys. I like our depth. We probably didn’t have the fall we wanted to have, but we put them through the gauntlet. We played some high-level championship golf tournaments against some really good golf teams so I think we learned a lot about who we are. I know that helped us today. We knew [we] were going to need the fall to develop as a team and I think we did that. There is definitely positive momentum coming off this trip.”
The Aggies are back on the links on Feb. 3-4 for the Sea Best Invitational in Atlantic Beach, Florida, hosted by Jacksonville University.
