No. 19 Texas A&M men’s golf returned to College Station to compete in the Aggie Invitational. The Aggies got in the right rhythm, finishing first in their home territory over 11 different programs. 

The Aggies started off hot on Day 1

Under sunny skies, the Maroon and White started off hot on Day 1 as they ended the day in the top spot, going 3-under 573 in team play. 

“The weather was great,” coach Brian Kortan said. “The course has really transformed over the last month. It’s turning back into the championship-caliber course our guys love to play on every day. It was a test out there. That’s why teams like Oklahoma and Baylor come here — they want to be challenged. It was a great day for us. … I haven’t looked at Clippd all day, but I know we played well this afternoon. I know Oklahoma is playing well, too, so tomorrow should be a real dogfight.”

No. 38 senior Phichaksn Maichon, No. 104 freshman Wheaton Ennis and sophomore Aaron Pounds all started off the competition on a high note in team play, finishing in the top-three spots.

Maichon finished the day going 1-under-72 and 2-under-72 in two rounds of swinging action. Ennis followed behind in second, going 4-under-72 and 3-over-72, and Pounds finished in third with an even-par 144 after two rounds. Senior Michael Heidelbaugh finished in eighth place, going 1-over 72 in both rounds. Senior Vishnu Sadagopan finished off team play going 7-over-144. 

“These guys are built for the fight,” Kortan said. “They want it to be tough out there. Traditions gave them everything from Hole 1 to Hole 36 today. They dug their heels in. It’s never perfect and we had some rough stretches, as did everyone else out here today. But they stayed tough, finished strong and really put themselves in a good headspace going into tomorrow.”

In individual play, junior Jacob Sosa secured a fourth-place finish going 1-over-72 and an even-par 72 in his two rounds. Junior Jaime Montojo secured eighth place, finishing with scores of 3-over-72 and 1-under-72. Freshman Alex Long fell short of the top-20 leaderboard, finishing in 21st with a score of 5-over-144. Sophomore Jack Usner finished in 38th place on 9-over-144. Sophomore Jake Maggert rounded out Day 1 of the Aggie Invitational, finishing in 52nd on a score of 13-over-144.

Holding on to the lead on Day 2

A&M continued their dominance on Day 2, finishing the day in first place. The Aggies finished the tournament with a final score of 3-over 867.

Maichon continued to dominate as he finished first on the player’s leaderboard with a final score of 6-under-216. This was his fourth career victory as an Aggie. 

“I’m definitely handing it better,” Michon said. “I’m training the right direction to come to the postseason.”

Pounds finished the day in third, with an even-par 72. Ennis had a tough day as he dropped to fifth place in the tournament, finishing the day at 2-over-216. Heidelbaugh ended the tournament in 21st, scoring an 8-over-216 in his final round. Sadagopan finished off team play going 14-over–216. 

“It’s one tournament, we got to keep building, keep getting better and stronger from this one,” Kortan said.

In individual play, Montojo moved up two spots, finishing the day in sixth place, with a final score of 4-over-216. Sosa went 9-over-216 for a 25th place result. 

Both Long and Usner finished going 6-over-72 in their final round, with Long finishing in 32nd with a final score of 11-over-216 and Usner in 43rd, scoring 15-over-216. Maggert rounded out the event by moving down two spots to 54th place on a score of 5-over-72 in Round 3. 

A&M will travel to St. Simons Island, Georgia to compete in the SEC Championships from April 23 to 27.