DALLAS, TX -- The Texas A&M men’s golf team opened its final event of the fall season on Monday by competing in two rounds during the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate and finishing the day in a tie for fourth place.
Overall, the Aggies (286-278=564) trail team leader Texas Tech (288-269=557) by only seven shots during play at Royal Oaks Country Club. Oklahoma State (281-278=559) and Iowa (283-277=560) sit in second and third place, respectively, while SMU (283-281=564) is tied with A&M in fourth.
“Overall, we played pretty well today; it’s certainly nice to get some red numbers going again,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “We had some guys shoot some decent rounds but we are still not close to where we need to be. We had a chance for a great round but didn’t finish it off and that’s something we need to get better at. We’ve got to be able to bring those rounds home and finish what we started. The good news is we are in great position, only seven shots back, which we are more than capable of making up. We are looking for a great final round to end the fall season on a good note.”
Senior Cameron Peck (68-69=137) ended the second round in a tie for sixth overall at five-under par, just four shots off individual leader Maxine Blandin (70-63=133) of SMU.
Senior Drew Evans (71-70=141) also ended the day under-par to enter the final round in a tie for 13th. Meanwhile, sophomore Ty Dunlap (74-68=142) saw a six-shot improvement during the second round to end the day in a tie for 20th, while junior Johannes Veerman (73-71=144) stands in a tie for 31st.
Second-year Aggie Greg Yates (75-74=149) ended Monday’s rounds in a tie for 69th overall.
“Cam played great today,” Higgins added. “This course really sets up great for him since he can drive it so well and play off the tee to give himself a lot of looks at birdies. It was also good to see Ty have a nice round this afternoon. Overall, everyone did a nice job but tomorrow we are really going to have to come with our best effort.”
Another highlight on the day for the Aggies was junior Ryan Kelley, who carded a hole-in-one on No. 8 in the tournament’s second round. It was the event’s second ace on the day as Texas Tech’s Nathan Weant also accomplished the rarity on the 16th hole during the opening round.
Participating as an individual, Kelley (74-72=) sits in a tie for 47th at four-over par.
The Royal Oaks Intercollegiate continues on Tuesday with the third and final round. The Aggies are set to tee off at 9:20 a.m. and will be paired with Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Iowa. Live stats will be available on GolfStat.com.
