The Longhorns are finding their groove at the perfect time.
 
The Texas men’s golf team finished third at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Arizona, over the weekend, picking up its third top-three finish of the spring season. The Longhorns shot a 31-under 833 as a team in the two-day tournament after earning their first team victory of the season last week.
 
Individually, junior Pierceson Coody tied for second overall with a 6-under 66 performance less than a week after winning his first collegiate meet at the George Hannon Invitational last Monday and Tuesday. Sophomore Travis Vick, junior Cole Hammer and sophomore Mason Nome finished 14th, 17th and 30th, respectively.
 
But despite the third-place team finish, Texas struggled during the first day of the tournament.
 
The Longhorns were in sixth place after the first day of competition, four strokes behind Arizona and 12 strokes behind first-place Oklahoma State. Texas failed to have a golfer crack the top five of the individual leaderboard, and only Coody, in eighth place, placed within the top 15.
 
Hammer shot an even-par 72 in the first round and a 4-under 68 in the second, and Vick shot a pair of 2-under 70s. The two tied for 20th at 4-under after the first day, and Nome sat in 29th at 2-under. Sophomore Will Thomson tied for 57th at 1-over.
 
Texas picked it up on the final day.
 
The Longhorns shot a 14-under 244 as a team Sunday to explode into third place, blowing by Arizona and Illinois. New Mexico, who sat in third at 23-under after the first day, slipped to seventh after a disappointing second day. 

Texas was also helped by the collapse of Arizona and Illinois, who finished tied for fifth place. 
 
Two Longhorns shot under 70 in the final round, and all five golfers shot under or even par on the final day. Vick followed Coody’s 6-under 66 with a 4-under 68, and Hammer and Thomson each shot 2-under 70. Nome shot an even-par 72. 
 
Texas will have the next weekend off before returning to action in the Calusa Cup at the Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida, from April 4-6.