After a slow start scoring a 71 and finishing the day tied for 35th place on day one, senior Cole Hammer returned with two strong days of play to lead the Longhorns to a third place finish. 

The Texas men’s golf team traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete in the Southern Highlands Collegiate at the Southern Highlands golf course. The course features a par 72 and a total of 7,510 yards. 

No. 16 Texas took on four other top-ranked teams: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 9 Georgia and No. 12 Georgia Tech.

Junior Mason Nome led the Longhorns on the first day of play with a score of 68, followed by junior Travis Vick, who recorded a score of 69. 

After the second day of play, Texas moved into second place, led by another strong performance by Nome. In the second round, Nome recorded a score of 69 to be tied for sixth. Vick recorded a score of 69, and tied for eighth. 

Hammer, after a score of 71 on the first day of play, recorded a score of 67 on day two. The Houston product jumped 27 spots, tied with Vick for eighth place. 

Hammer’s performance on day two helped the Longhorns move up six spots into second place, with a total score of 557 going into the third round. 

On the final day, Hammer continued his strong play and scored a 67 for the second day in a row, and a total score of 205 to finish tied for second place. Hammer recorded six birdies in the third round, including back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. 

Vick finished tied for seventh place, recording a score of 69 in all three rounds of play for a final score of 207. Vick recorded four birdies and one eagle, also including back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. 

Nome recorded a score of 71 to finish the tournament, putting his final score at 208 and tying for 10th place. Nome recorded five birdies, but fell four places after leading the Longhorns on day one. 

The Longhorns finished with a total team score of 835, finishing in third place behind Oklahoma and Pepperdine. Oklahoma recorded a final team score of 826, and Pepperdine 833. Oklahoma’s Patrick Welch won the tournament with an individual score of 202. 

Texas’ next tournament begins March 18 at the Arizona N.I.T. in Tucson, Arizona.