VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. – Led by another strong effort by junior Daniel Rodrigues, the No. 17 Texas A&M men’s golf team finished fourth after stroke play at SEC Match Play Preview on Monday and will face No. 13 Auburn in match play on Tuesday at the Old Overton Club.
Rodrigues, from Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, scorched the course again with a 4-under 66 in third round and placed in a tie for fifth on the individual leaderboard. After 54 holes of stroke play, Rodrigues was 11-under par with rounds of 69-64-66=199 and joined an elite group of Aggies with sub-200 54-hole totals on their resume. After bogeying the final two holes of the first round, Rodrigues had just one bogey over the last 36 holes.
“Dani carried us in this tournament, and there’s not too many under 200 54-hole scores in our history at Texas A&M,” Aggie head coach Brian Kortan said. “This has been a heck of a tournament for him. I’m proud of the way he stayed present and continued to fight.”
Three other Aggies posted sub-70 rounds on Monday with freshman Jamie Montoja carding a 67 in his first collegiate action, sophomore Phichaksn Maichon posting a 68 and fifth-year senior Sam Bennett contributing a 69.
“I’m proud of the way we battled over the last 36 holes after shooting even par in the first round,” Kortan added. “We didn’t give in. They were fighting uphill and I’m really proud of the way they competed.
After Rodrigues on the individual leaderboard were Bennett (t17th, -5), Maichon (t23rd, -3), Montojo (t44th, =2) and sophomore Vishnu Sadagopan (t52nd, +3)
Vanderbilt was the top finisher after stroke play at 39-under and grabbed the top seed in match play. Following the Commodores were Tennessee (-35), Auburn (-33), Texas A&M, Alabama (-20), Georgia (-19), Mississippi State (-17), Ole Miss (-11), LSU (-11), Florida (-9), South Carolina (-5), Arkansas (+1), Missouri (+4) and Kentucky (+10).
Follow the match play action at Golfstat.com.
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