No. 19 Texas men’s golf finishes 4th at the East Lake Cup
October 27, 2022
Following a disappointing seventh-place finish last week at the Big 12 Men’s Match Play Championship, No. 19 Texas men’s golf finished fourth this week at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta, its last tournament until January.
The premier tournament included all four teams from last season’s NCAA Championship semifinal: No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 25 Pepperdine and the defending national champion Longhorns. The format of the tournament featured 18 holes of individual stroke play on Monday, followed by a match play semifinal on Tuesday and the final round of team match play on Wednesday.
Freshman Keaton Vo led the way on Monday after posting a 2-under-par, good enough to tie for fourth place and his best collegiate finish in stroke play. Sophomore Alejandro Gonzalez made his second appearance of the season, finishing 1-under par and tying for sixth place. His sixth-place performance was also a collegiate-best finish. Ranked No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, senior Travis Vick concluded his day at even-par and tied for ninth place.
Standout freshman Christiaan Maas struggled out of the gate. After being named to the Final Fall Watch List for the Fred Haskins Award on Monday morning, Maas shot an uncharacteristic 1-over-par which placed him in a tie for 11th place. Senior Mason Nome also struggled, posting a 6-over-par. Overall, the Longhorns finished second in stroke play with a 2-under-par 286.
On Tuesday, the team faced off against veteran-laden Vanderbilt and individual winner Gordon Sargent, losing 4-1. Maas was the only bright spot of the day, winning a 4&2 game against fifth-year senior Reid Davenport.
Holding on to a 1-up lead through 12 holes, Maas slammed the door on Davenport by winning the 14th, 15th and 16th holes. Gonzalez, Nome and Vo all lost by a 5&4 decision. Vick’s match was cut short trailing 3-down to Sargent after Vanderbilt clinched the game-winning third point.
Wednesday brought similar results for the Longhorns. In the consolation match against Pepperdine, Texas came out flat, defeated 4-1 once again for a fourth-place finish. This time, Vick brought home the sole win, beating graduate student Derek Hitchner in a 1-up victory.
After falling behind early, Vick rattled off three straight wins on 12, 13 and 14 to take a 1-up lead. The two halved the remaining holes as Vick held on for the win. Nome and Vo dropped heartbreakers by 1-up margins after losing leads late. Maas lost by a 4&3 decision and Gonzalez lost on a 7&6 decision.
Up next, the team will look to turn its season around starting at the Southwestern Invitational in Westlake Village, California on Jan. 30-Feb. 1.