The No. 19 Texas A&M men’s golf team opened up its season with a 12th-place finish at the Sahalee Players Championship in Sammamish, Washington over the weekend. Coming off of a season where they made it to the third round of the NCAA Championship, the Aggies looked to start their season off strong.
The Maroon and White were grouped in a 13-team field with solid teams from many different conferences, including last year NCAA Tournament quarter finalists North Carolina and SEC foe Florida.
With a score of 7-under 857, Arizona State took the spot at the top. Florida, Arizona, Pepperdine and Duke rounded out the top-5.
To begin Day 1, the Aggies shot 11-over 299 putting them in 13th place after Saturday’s first round. Once the second round finished, the Maroon and White moved up two ranks into 11th place after shooting 2-over 290.
Senior Phichaksn Maichon, who was slotted in at No. 10 for the class of 2025 in the PGA TOUR University preseason ranking, shot best for the Maroon and White after Day 1, shooting an even 144 after securing a birdie in the second round. The Aggies’ freshman Wheaton Ennis added a 1-over 145 to lift them in the rankings.
After finishing Day 1 in 11th, the Maroon and White tallied a 15-over 591.
When the final round concluded , Maichon led the Aggies as he finished tied for eighth place with a score of an even 216. The reigning All-American honorable mention has continued to play well for the Aggies.
A surprising finish in second for the Maroon and White was Ennis, who tied for 36th place with a 6-over 222 in his collegiate debut.
Finishing just behind Ennis, the Aggies’ junior Jaime Montojo finished Day 2 tied for 46th while shooting an 8-over 224. After producing the Maroon and White’s second-best score of the day with a 2-over 74, sophomore Jack Usner finished the tournament with a 15-over 231.
The Aggies’ sophomore Aaron Pounds finished Day 2 with a 17-over 233 while senior Vishnu Sadagopan rounded out the Aggies with a 24-over 240.
It was clear that day two was a little more difficult to hit as A&M was passed by Northwestern and fell to 12th after hitting 9-over 297 in the final round.
The Maroon and White will be back in action on Sept. 20-22 as they travel to play at the Fighting Illini Invitational in Olympia Fields, Illinois.
