Texas A&M men’s golf finished in first place at the Badger Invitational on the 7,259-yard, par-72 University Ridge course in Madison, Wisc. Senior William Paysse received co-medalist honors on Tuesday, Sept. 13 and earned his second career victory shooting a 9-under-par 135.
Ranked No.17, Aggie men’s golf finished first at 20-under par. Wisconsin finished in second at 9-under par, with Illinois State going 7-under, Nebraska going 5-under and Purdue going 3-under par.
Brian Kortan, coach for A&M men’s golf, has led the team to victory six times during his time at A&M.
“It’s awesome; it is always good to win,” Kortan told 12thMan.com after the win. “We got into the heat of it today, and the guys handled themselves and came out on top.”
Paysse, co-medalist, was 5-under-par in the last round of the tournament. Successfully dropping his score to 1-under-par on the front nine, the senior sunk birdies on Holes 10 and 12 followed by a bogey on Hole 13. The Belton native birdied Holes 15 and 16 and birdied Hole 18 with a 12-foot putt, securing his spot to tie for first.
“He did a great job,” Kortan told 12thMan.com. “He stayed present and was able to calm himself down and hit some really good shots down the stretch to catch the leader. He played nicely yesterday and today. He kind of struggled at the start but hung in there and really did a good job of making birdies on the back nine. To win a golf tournament is awesome.”
Sophomore Vishnu Sadagopan finished in seventh at 5-under-par, making it his first ever top-10 finish. Sophomore Michael Heidelbaugh shot a 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday, tied for 12th at 4-under par, and matched his career-low score for the second time. Junior Daniel Rodrigues tied for 16th at 2-under-par after jumping 21 spots on the leaderboard during the final round. Fifth-year senior Sam Bennett, the 122nd U.S. Amateur Champion, tied for 34th at the tournament at 1-over-par.
“For Sam [Bennett], it is unusual for him not to play well,” Kortan told 12thMan.com. “We all get used to him doing well, but he has carried us a lot. It speaks to what those guys mean to each other. They all patted him on the back and said, ‘It was our turn this week.’ It was good to see those guys step up and cover him when he didn’t have a great week.”
A&M men’s golf heads to Old Overton Club in Birmingham, Ala, Sept. 25-27 for the SEC Match Play Championship.
“We are going to have a competitive group and coach [Matt] Fast and I are looking forward to watching these guys push each other and see where we can go,” Kortan told 12thMan.com. “To start the year off with a win is a great start. We are excited to get back and start working toward how we can do this again.”
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