The No. 23 Texas A&M golf team traveled to Alpharetta, Ga., to compete in the U.S. Collegiate Championship and finished the tournament tied for fifth with a score of 22 over par.
The Aggies competed against 15 teams, 14 of which were ranked in the Top 25 nationally, including the Top 10 teams in the nation. Several of the teams that competed in the tournament are expected to contend for the NCAA Championship in May.
A&M finished the first round eight over par tied for 11th and 15 strokes behind the tournament leader.
During the second round, the Aggies climbed the leader board to second place after firing a score of one under par. The Aggies shot the lowest team score of the second day by three strokes and entered the final round trailing No. 7 Stanford by four strokes.
"[The second round] was the best round we have played all year," said A&M Head Coach J.T. Higgins. "We put ourselves in position to win the golf tournament against a national championship-caliber field and you can't ask for more than that."
During the final round, the Aggies posted a score of 15 over par and dropped to finish the tournament in fifth. Tournament winner Clemson recorded a score of four under par during the final round, the second best round recorded by any team throughout the tournament.
The Aggies were led by freshman Geoff Shaw who shot even-par during the 54-hole tournament, finishing tied for seventh individually.
Shaw, who has averaged 74.83 in six rounds, scored below his average on all three rounds, posting scores of 73, 73 and 72. Playing in his third tournament for the Aggies, Shaw's individual finish was the highest of his career.
Senior Bronson Burgoon finished the tournament tied for 25th individually, recording a score of seven over par. Burgoon started the tournament with a first round score of 73 (+1), but exploded on the second day posting a 70(-2), which was the third best score in the field. Starting the final round tied for sixth, Burgoon shot an 80 and moved down the leader board 19 spots.
Also competing for the Aggies were junior Andrea Pavan, sophomore Nacho Elvira and senior Clay Hodge.
Pavan recorded a score of 10 over par during the tournament finishing 37th overall. Elvira finished 44th with an overall score of 12 over par. Hodge, who made a hole in one during the first round, finished the tournament 70th with a score of 18 over par.
A&M will compete in their own tournament, the Aggie Invitational, on April 18 and 19 at Traditions .
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