The Texas A&M men’s golf team concluded play at the 37th annual Louisiana Classics on Tuesday, March 15 at the Oakbourne Country Club.
The team competed for two days, completely dominating from the start. The Aggies hit the green blazing, finishing in first place on the first day of the competition, and took first place overall to win their second tournament of the season, setting a new program record with a 47-under score.
On the first day of competition, the maroon and white completed two phenomenal rounds of play and concluded the day with four players in the top 10. Among Aggies who brought their best swings to the tournament were senior Sam Bennett, junior William Paysse, graduate Walker Lee and sophomore Daniel Rodrigues.
Bennett led the Aggies by finishing in first place at 12-under with a total score of 132. Paysse followed him in second place with a total score of 135. Walker placed fourth for the maroon and white, while Rodrigues tied for seventh place with a total score of 139.
“The guys got going from the start, which is huge for momentum, and they carried it throughout the day,” coach Brian Kortan told 12thman.com. “We try to win each day and each round, and you don’t often get a lead like this when you are playing college golf, but we have to continue the things we did well to get to that point. We won’t take anything for granted; get a good night’s rest and get out there in the morning and try to chase this one down.”
The Aggies continued to carry momentum and dominance into the second day as they were victorious in their play.
Bennett marked the fourth win of his career by earning the individual title of the competition at 18-under. Bennett also broke the tournament record by five strokes with a total score of 198.
Paysse tied for third at 11-under, while Rodrigues tied for sixth at 9-under. Lee placed eighth at 8-under as the fourth Aggie to finish within the top five of the competition.
Freshman Phichaksn Maichon tied for 31st place at 1-over with a total score of 217. Sophomore Evan Myers competed as an individual and tied for 49th place at 5-over with a total score of 221.
“William [Paysse], Daniel [Rodrigues] and Walker [Lee] played some really good golf,” coach Brian Kortan told 12thman.com on the final day of competition. “Those guys played some tremendous golf. It was a great team effort. Obviously, Sam [Bennett] won the golf tournament, but those other guys did a great job. The guys should be proud of themselves. We will continue to do what we have done, and that is get back home and get ready to compete again in two weeks.”
The Aggies will be back on the green at the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Fla., from March 28-29.