After struggling with third place finishes in both Louisiana and Hawaii, Texas A&M men’s golf was able to capture its first team victory of the season this past weekend.
The Desert Mountain Intercollegiate welcomed 12 teams for the Saturday-Sunday meet in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Aggies started off strong on the first day with a round one combined score of 277 to capture first place early on. After a second place finish in the second round of play, the Aggies had to get some rest in preparation for Sunday’s final round.
After three full round of play, A&M managed to take the crown with a -17 combined score over many notable teams, including No. 24 Purdue, No. 33 Pepperdine and No. 48 Tennessee.
Michigan and Tennessee surprised Purdue and Pepperdine by taking second and third place at the DMI, respectively. For A&M, Ben Crancer, Chandler Phillips, Cameron Champ and Andrew Lister were able to finish all four rounds of play at the tournament to push the team to victory.
Much of the Aggies’ success stemmed from Crancer’s effort Saturday and Sunday. He finished tied for third on Par 3 holes, tied for seventh on Par 4 holes and shot only one stroke behind first place on Par 5 holes with his -6 score. His success earned him medalist honors to follow the competition.
Crancer and Phillips were the only two Aggies to finish under par on Par 3 holes at -1 and -3, respectively. The two also were among the only six to finish under par, with Michigan being the only other school with two. With the competition completed, the Aggies had the best average on Par 3 holes with a team score of only +1. Michigan followed closely with a +2 score, with the rest of the pack separated and the third place finisher at +9.
The Aggies only finished behind Purdue on Par 4 attempts with a team score of +4. St. Mary’s (California) finished at +8. Purdue and Michigan led the pack with 60 and 59 birdies, respectively, while Tennessee led the way with four eagles. The Aggies combined for a total of 58 birdies on the weekend.
Texas A&M men’s golf returns to the course on the East Coast next Saturday, March 16. The Aggies will be competing in the 2016 iteration of the General Hackler Championship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
