Fierce competition awaits the Texas A&M men’s golf team today as the Aggies head to Austin to compete in the Morris Williams Intercollegiate. The Austin Country Club will host a parade of top college programs through Tuesday.
Leading the way for the Aggies will be team captain and senior Shuan Helme and juniors Stephen Reed and David Tasker, whose 71.92 rating through five events this season currently leads the Aggie team.
This is Tasker’s first year with A&M since transferring from the New Mexico Military Institute where the Australia native won three JUCO tournaments and finished third at the NJCAA National Championships in 2001. Reed, who has competed in every tournament this season, finished second individually at the Louisiana Classic where his 5-under-par total of 211 paced the Aggies to a third place finish.
Helme has contributed consistent scores and is currently third on the A&M team, averaging just more than 74 strokes per round.
Helme said that the end goal is to compete for a national championship, but that the Aggies need to do well in divisional and regional competing first.
“Right now we are in good position, and we determine our own destiny,” Helme said. “If we play good golf, we should be fine.”
Nearly one-third of the nation’s top 20 teams will be in attendance, including No. 2 University of Nevada – Las Vegas. The Morris Williams Intercollegiate is also expecting several of the NCAA’s top individual golfers.
The No. 2 UNLV Rebels are fueled largely by the outstanding play of sophomore Ryan Moore, who is currently ranked among the top 10 collegiate golfers in the country by Golfweek/Saragin Performance Index. Moore is averaging less than 70 strokes per round this year.
A quartet of 2002 PING All-Americans will also be competing in Austin, including Fresno State’s star senior Nick Watney, Oklahoma State junior Hunter Mahan, Georgia Tech senior Troy Matteson and TCU senior Adam Rubinson. All four are ranked among the top 10 by Golfweek/Saragin alongside Moore.
The two-day Morris Williams Intercollegiate tournament begins today on the men’s championship tees at the Austin Country Club.