It's been an entire month since No. 17 Texas last hit the links for competitive collegiate golf at the Amer Invitational in Hawaii.
Texas started hot in Hawaii, leading the field after day one of action. But the Longhorns could not keep that momentum up for the remainder of the tournament and slid back to finish fourth overall.
“Hawaii is a good way to start the spring,” Texas head coach John Fields said. “The team had a number of good things happen, and we know what we need to work at to be as competitive as we believe we can be.”
During the gap between team play, several Texas individuals posted some big accomplishments. Senior Doug Ghim was recently named to both the Ben Hogan Award Watch List and the Golfweek Haskins Award Watch List.
Senior Scottie Scheffler won the Genesis Open Collegiate Showcase with a 3-under 68 to qualify for the Genesis Open, although he did not make the weekend cut at the PGA Tour event.
On Sunday, the Longhorns travel to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for the Querencia Cabo Collegiate. The tournament field will showcase 16 other teams, eight of which are currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
The Longhorns will need strong showings from the senior duo of Scheffler and Ghim as well as sophomore Spencer Soosman, who finished just three strokes back of the individual champion at the Ameri Invitational.
“Those three guys are basically the strength of our team right now,” Fields said. “What we’ve got to do is do a great job coaching our guys and giving them the best opportunity to be prepared when we get to a golf tournament.”
This is the first week that Scheffler and Ghim will be playing competitive golf with the pressures of the added awards and watchlists on their shoulders, but Fields is expecting them to shine in the added spotlight.
“They know for them, it’s just paying attention to business,” Fields said. “When they’re in competition, it’s just playing one shot at a time. When they’re playing, it does them no good to be distracted, and they’re disciplined enough to deal with those things.”
Texas will tee off in the first day of the tournament on Sunday with hopes to improve on its fifth place finish at last year’s Querencia Cabo Collegiate at Los Cabos Querencia Course.
