The last time Southern Hills Golf Course in Tulsa, Okla. hosted the Big 12 Golf Championship, senior team captain Andrew Parr was a freshman and the Aggies posted a fourth place finish – the team’s best finish in the event up to that point.
On Monday, the No. 6 Texas A&M Men’s Golf team will tee it up at Southern Hills again, site of the 2006 Big 12 Championship. Parr says the course, which hosted the 2001 United States Open, will be a tough test.
“I told the guys to just prepare for a tough golf course that really puts a big emphasis on your short game skills,” Parr said. “I know the guys will be ready. We’ve been spending a lot of time working on our putting and chipping to be fully prepared for the tough conditions Southern Hills will throw at us.”
A&M has been one of the most consistent teams in the nation all year, placing at least ninth all season. That consistency will be tested against some of the best teams in the country, including No. 2 Oklahoma State University, No. 14 Texas Tech University and No. 23 The University of Texas.
Confidence has also shown through this season on a battle-tested Aggie squad that includes two seniors in the top five. A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said he is not looking for anything more than what seniors Jerad Harklau and Andrew Parr have been giving him all season – consistency and leadership.
“We’re looking for (Harklau and Parr) for their leadership and for them to commit to the process. We just need to them keep sticking to the goals we set at the beginning of the year,” Higgins said. “We’re not going to do anything different at the Big 12 tournament. These guys will be ready for the challenge of playing Southern Hills. They’ve been practicing for this all season.”
A&M sophomore Robert Gates Jr. said the team is ready to perform at the highest level, though it suffered a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech in last weekend’s Aggie Invitational.
“We can’t wait to get out there and get going,” Gates said. “We’ve been playing really hard the last couple of weeks. I think everyone was kind of letdown after last week, but all in all I think we played really well. I think it was a good tune-up for this week’s championship.”
Parr says that while the competition will be tough going into Monday’s round, the Aggie golf team might just have what it takes to take down some of the toughest competition in the country.
“I think we really believe this season that we have a serious shot to beat Texas and (Oklahoma State),” Parr said. “Those guys are really good, but I think this team has really bonded this year. We have been playing as a team the entire season, so I don’t see why we can’t continue our great play and give those guys a run.”