TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational – Texas A&M Athletics

WESTWORTH VILLAGE, Texas – For the second consecutive week, the No. 17 Texas A&M men’s golf team tests its mettle against an elite field when the Aggies tee it off at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Shady Oaks Country Club Monday and Tuesday.
 
The 15-team tournament field features 14 teams ranked in the top 25, including every squad in the top five. The Aggies are one of three SEC squads in the field, joined by Vanderbilt and Georgia. Five Big 12, four ACC and two Pac 12 squads are a part of the national flavor converging on the tournament.
 
The combatants are slated to play 36 holes Monday followed by 18 Tuesday at the par-70, 6,885-yard Shady Oaks.
 

Texas A&M’s lineup features four returnees, including two 2022-23 PING All-America Honorable Mention performers in Phichaksn Maichon and Daniel Rodrigues. Michael Heidelbaugh and Jaime Montojo are joined by newcomer Aaron Pounds to round out the Aggie fivesome.
 

The Aggies opened the season with a third-place finish at the Marquette Intercollegiate. Last week, the Maroon & White finished sixth at the SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate and followed with a 3-2 win against No. 12 Tennessee.
 
Monday’s action begins with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Tuesday’s tee times start at 8 a.m.
 
THE FIELD
Texas A&M (t-17)
North Carolina (1)
Arizona State (2)
Vanderbilt (3)
Georgia Tech (4)
Florida State (5)
Oklahoma (10)
Texas (11)
Pepperdine (15)
Oklahoma State (16)
Texas Tech (t-17)
Georgia (20)
Oregon (22)
Wake Forest (25)
TCU
 
THE LINEUP
Team
Jaime Montojo – Sophomore – Madrid, Spain

• Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week in 2022-23, registering a 71.93 scoring average, including 0.57 vs. par in 28 rounds
• Played a key role in Spain’s 4-3 victory over Denmark to win the 2023 European Amateur Team Championship in Epilanges, Switzerland – winning the clinching match 2&1
• Made a late charge to finish t-13th at the 2023 European Amateur Championship in Parnu, Estonia
• Qualified for the match play portion of the 2023 Amateur Championship, bowing out in the round of 64
• Last time out – tied for 25^th at the SEC Match play hosted by Jerry Pate with a 3-under 210 (69-70-71); defeated Tennessee’s Caleb Surrat in match play, 2&1

Phichaksn Maichon…