Usually when people go to Las Vegas, it’s to get rich or have a great time.
But when the dust had settled late Wednesday afternoon at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, a tumultuous three-day test left No. 5 Texas and 14 other teams reeling from a brutal stretch of golf.
Dubbed the top field in college golf, the 15-team field at the Southern Highlands featured nine ranked teams, including six in the top 10. No team was able to break par for the tournament.
No. 8 USC started the final round at 4-under par. But even with a 9-over par outing on Wednesday, the Trojans still captured a four-shot victory over No. 2 Florida.
Texas limped to a final round 13-over, its worst team round of the season. The Longhorns finished in a tie for fourth with No. 14 Arizona State at 18-over, 13 shots behind USC.
Junior Beau Hossler entered the Southern Highlands as one of the hottest players in the country. Hossler shot a 3-over 75 in the final round to put him in a tie for eighth at 2-over overall. It was Hossler’s second round over par of the tournament. Prior to the Southern Highlands, he had only carded one round over par all season.
Junior Gavin Hall — who picked up the first victory of his career in Hawaii last month — fired a 1-under 71, the only under par round for the Longhorns on that day. He finished the week in a tie for 16th at 4-over.
Sophomores Doug Ghim and Scottie Scheffler each tied for 27th at 7-over. Ghim shot a 3-over 75, and Scheffler shot an 8-over 80 in the final round. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Funk finished in a tie for 72nd at 20-over.
Florida’s Sam Horsfield shot a final round 2-under 70 to finish 7-under overall, giving him a four-shot victory over USC’s Sean Crocker.
The Longhorns will next be in action at the Lamkin San Diego Classic, March 14–15, at the San Diego Country Club.