The No. 6 Texas A&M men’s golf team fell short of winning its third straight meet, as the Aggies finished second in the Cabo Collegiate in Mexico.
Arizona State was the overall winner of the event as the team finished 20-under par for the weekend. Texas A&M finished at 12-under par to take home second place honors.
The first two days were a struggle for the team, as A&M settled around eighth place during the majority of the first two days, posting around even par as a team. The third and final day of the tournament was a different story for the Aggies however, as they put on a strong showing, posting a 6-under par 278 for the day and advancing six spots to take home second place overall.
Junior Walker Lee was the standout performer for the team and was the main reason behind A&M’s big final day jump on the leaderboards. The first two days were top 25 leaderboard worthy for Lee, as he finished day one at even par 71 while finishing day two at 1-under 70. Day three is where Lee shined brightest, as he finished the day at 7-under 64 and went from being 1-under par and tied for 24th at the beginning of day three, to finishing atop the overall player leaderboards by finishing at 8-under.
Freshman Jimmy Lee was consistent throughout the tournament as well. The first two days Lee was able to solidify his position in the top 25 of the player leaderboards. Day one saw Lee post a 1-under par 70. Day two was Lee’s best overall during the tournament, as the freshmen posted a 3-under par 68. Day three saw Lee coming in with high hopes of finishing in the top 10 in the player leaderboards with another strong outing. This was not the case however, as he struggled throughout the 18 and finished the day at 2-over 73 to finish at an overall 2-under par and tied for 14th.
For senior Dan Erickson, the Cabo Collegiate was a battle of catchup. Erickson had a rough first day as he finished at 5-over 76. The next two days however, Erickson was able to settle down and get back to form. Days two and three saw the senior finish at 2-under 69 for him to finish the tournament tied for 26th at 1-under par, finishing just outside the top 25. Erickson had the biggest jump on day three out of all the participants in the field, as his consistent performance in day three allowed him to leapfrog a field-high 24 positions on the final day.
Sophomore Sam Bennett also had his ups and downs during the tournament as well. Day one for Bennett was a struggle as well, as he posted a 3- over par 74. Much like Erickson, Bennett had to play catchup. Day two was the bright sport for Sam, as he was able to post a 2-under par 69 for the round. On day three however, Bennett was unable to build off of a strong day two. Despite this, his consistency was able to advance him eight spots in the final day as he finished the round at 1-over 72 to finish tied for 29th at 2-over.
Freshman William Paysse was on pace to finish inside the top 30 overall after the first two days. Paysse finished even par in both day one and day two and started day three in 27th place. On day three however was when everything went south for Paysse. He finished the day at 5-over 76 and dropped 15 spots to finish the tournament tied for 42nd at 5-over.
Among notable stats, A&M was able to tally a team total of 48 birdies and 3 eagles during the tournament.
Next up for the Aggies is the Lamkin San Diego Classic March 9 and 10.