Spring break looked a little different for Texas men’s golf. Instead of relaxing under the Austin sun, the Longhorns returned to the greens for season competition.
The team flew to St. Simons Island, Georgia, to compete in the 54-hole Johnnie-O Intercollegiate Tournament at Sea Island Resort. Texas carded a three-round score of 22 under par to finish second on the weekend behind Notre Dame. This result is their highest since the turn of the new year.
Sophomore Christiaan Maas earned his second top-five finish of the season after shooting an 8-under-par score on the weekend, including 11 birdies and six bogeys.
During the final round of team play, sophomore Tommy Morrison posted a 2 under par to lock in 12th place individually. Graduate student Nathan Petronzio and sophomore Jacob Sosa both carded a 3 under par, marking their best round of the weekend.
Following an underwhelming 15th-place showing at the Amer Ari Invitational earlier in February, Texas head coach John Fields focused on regrouping and changing the team’s practice regimes to prepare for Johnnie-O adequately.
“I mean, it was kind of an awakening,” Fields said. “We just kind of had a moment where we could kind of discern down, you know, what’s hindering us? Why are we not competing at the level that we should, and as a result we were able to kind of pick out a few key things.”
Texas traded out the golf carts for walking between holes and added extra fitness training to their weekly practice schedules. Coach Fields boiled some of their performance issues down to preparedness and felt their positive showing in Georgia reflected a shift in the right direction.
“I just feel like we were much better prepared,” Fields said. “Physically and mentally.”
On the tail end of the break, the Longhorns traveled up to South Carolina to compete against Illinois in an exhibition match-play event at Chechessee Creek Club. Texas recorded a 5.5-1.5 victory over its opponent, with graduate student Brian Stark, sophomore Keaton Vo, Petronzio, Morrison, and Sosa all posting individual wins.
“What we’re trying to accomplish is to maximize each guy’s talent,” Fields said. “And that truly is what we desire. And in order to do that, we have to compete. We also need to compete at a high level. So, the focus needs to be pretty intense. Recognizing that if we continue to do that, that there’ll be a compound effect and as we get to the end of the season, we’ll be a lot better.”
Texas will be back on the course at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational from March 25-26 in hopes of showcasing the growth Fields has recognized.
