The No. 13 Longhorns went right back to work after spring break as they traveled to play in the Valspar Collegiate Championship in Palm City, Florida, on Sunday.
Last year’s Valspar Collegiate Championship proved to be one of the more solid tournaments for Texas, as the team finished tied for fourth and just five shots off the eventual winner.
Texas came into this tournament looking to bounce back after a less than stellar showing at last week’s Lamkin Classic in San Diego, California, where the Longhorns tied for ninth overall, 57 strokes out of first place.
The Longhorns kicked the first round off with a 10-over par, good enough for 13th place after the Sunday round. Senior Scottie Scheffler came out hot, making six birdies in the first round, tied for second-most in the field for the first round. Scheffler would go into round two in a tie for 15th place.
Scheffler again would take control of the course in his second round, firing a career-low 65 bogey-free round. Scheffler’s 65 was his seventh score in the 60s for the spring season. His low score would shoot him up the leaderboard 12 spots into a tie for third.
As a team, the Longhorns shot a second round 278, helping vault them four spots up to ninth place going into the third and final round.
In the final round, Scheffler and the rest of the Longhorns could not find a way to climb out of that ninth place hole. The squad shot a combined 290 third round to earn a ninth place finish.
“The Floridian National Golf Club is a real test for our team,” said head coach John Fields. “We have won here before, so we know the ferocity of the course.”
Scheffler’s final round 76 dropped him out of third place, as he fell back to a four-way tie for ninth place and an overall 1-under par for the tournament. Senior Doug Ghim shot a final round 67 to follow his second round 68 and finish sixth overall.
“Doug and Scottie were very close to a great tournament,” said Fields. “We need more production from our three through five men, and they are capable.”
Texas’ next outing will be April 7–8 at the Western Intercollegiate Championship at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California.
