The No. 23 Texas A&M men’s golf team hit the road to Palm City, Florida to play in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational on March 25-26.
The Aggies finished in seventh place at 3-over 855, a step down from placing sixth last year. On the opening day, A&M placed eighth at 5-over 573.
“We had some momentum early and then hit a few uncharacteristic shots that kind of stalled us out,” coach Brian Kortan said. “Overall, a nice week, but we know we have to keep progressing as we get near championship season.”
No. 11 Florida State won the tournament at 19-under 833, followed by No. 3 Vanderbilt at 15-under 837 and No. 4 Arizona State at 10-under 842. A&M managed to jump ahead of No. 1 North Carolina in the final round. The Tar Heels placed eighth with a total score of 856.
Sophomore Jamie Montojo led the Aggies on the first day of competition, tied at 14th place, but finished the event tied at 25th with 1-over 214.
Senior Daniel Rodrigues and junior Vishnu Sadagopan paced behind Montojo with rounds of 2-under 69. Rodrigues paced with six birdies on the day and finished tied for 32nd at 3-over 216.
“I knew [Rodrigues] would probably play a pretty good round,” Kortan said. “He was disappointed with how he scored yesterday, and I was happy to see him bounce back with a good score.”
Sadagopan finished the tournament tied for 46th place at 5-over 218, notching four birdies on the first day of the tournament.
“Vish [Vishnu Sadagopan] has been trending for a while to have a good round for us,” Kortan said. “It’s not the easiest ride in the world, but I like where we’re headed.”
In the individual field, freshman Aaron Pounds placed 44th at 4-over 146.
The Aggies will return home April 6-7 to host the Aggie Invitational at Traditions Club.
“The guys are really excited to play at Traditions and defend their home turf,” Kortan said. “It’s always fun to play in front of our friends, family and fans, and we’ll rest up and then get ready for the Aggie Invitational.”
