Fresh off of a team title at the Aggie Invitational from April 12-13 to close out their regular season, No. 17 Texas A&M men’s golf is now entering the postseason at the Southeastern Conference Championship from April 23-27.
The Aggies are battling it out at Sea Island Golf Club on the 7,005-yard par-70 Seaside Course. Held at St. Simons Island, Georgia, for the ninth consecutive year, the SEC Championship title has never been claimed by the Maroon and White in program history.
The championship tournament consists of three rounds of stroke-play followed by a cut, with only the top eight out of 16 teams advancing. The top eight teams will compete in a match-play sudden death, with two elimination rounds to make it to the finals on Sunday.
Though the Fightin’ Farmers have had no luck at the title, they’ve proven themselves to be a force to reckon with as they have earned their ticket to match-play for the last four straight seasons, while the 2016 and 2017 Aggie squads claimed the runner-up title.
However, A&M has a tough field ahead as 13 of the 16 SEC teams are ranked in the top 35, with 10 of them being ranked in the top 20. The Aggies have lingered within the top 30 all season and have recently leaped to the top 20 after their recent train of success at their previous tournaments.
With teams such as No. 1 Ole Miss bringing star player No. 3 junior Michael La Sasso and No. 3 Texas being led by No. 2 freshman Daniel Bennett, the competition is set to be fierce. Other notable teams include No. 2 Auburn, No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Florida.
The Aggies have faced these exceptional teams throughout their season, preparing them for what’s to come. A&M defeated Oklahoma at their most recent tournament by nine strokes. However, they have also had their share of defeat as they have fallen short to both Auburn and Texas in numerous tournaments.
The Maroon and White is led by No. 25 senior Phichaksn Maichon, who was named SEC Golfer of the Week on April 16 following his win defending his home course at the Aggie Invitational.
Joining the lineup will be No. 90 freshman Wheaton Ennis, No. 145 senior Michael Heidelbaugh, No. 359 junior Jaime Montojo and No. 181 sophomore Aaron Pounds. Ennis added to the squad’s energy as he recently broke into the top 100 rankings for the first time in his collegiate career.
Heidelbaugh has been a quiet but reliable scorer for A&M, consistently finishing in the top 30 individually in eight of his 10 tournaments. Another advantage for the Aggies is that four out of their five starters played in this tournament at the same course in 2024. Going into this tournament having knowledge of the course layout will be a great edge for the Maroon and White.
The top four starters for the Aggies have been dominant all season and ultimately have guided them to where they stand going into the championship tournament. However, the No. 5 spot has been up for grabs by multiple Aggies all year.
No. 525 senior Vishnu Sadagopan and Montojo have both had the opportunity to prove themselves for that No. 5 spot. But Montojo, with a scoring average of just one stroke below Sadagopan, got the nod. The Aggies will bring Sadagopan as a reserve.
A&M posted a team total of 867 at their last tournament as they capped off their regular season. Over the course of the season the five-man squad has secured three tournament wins and five top-3 finishes.
Hoping to make program history and claim the title for the first time at the SEC Championship, tee time starts at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, as A&M is stacked up against No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Alabama.
