Under the clear skies of the Floridian National Golf Club’s challenging 71-par course in Palm City, Florida, the Texas Longhorns teed off against powerhouse programs including No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Vanderbilt for the Valspar Collegiate Invitational.

No. 18 Texas tied for 10th place following sophomore Tommy Morrison’s career-best performance in the final 18 holes. 

The Longhorns faced a slow start in the opening two rounds of competition, finding themselves in 14th place. Texas carded a combined 13-over result, with graduate Brian Stark firing an even-par, senior Nathan Petronzio carding 2-over, sophomore Christiaan Maas posting 5-over and sophomore Jacob Sosa recording 12-over. Morrison finished his rounds tied for 69th, carding an 8-over par.

“Yesterday was a long day,” Morrison said. “It was tough, but it was tough for everybody, and I did a poor job in the conditions.”

The Longhorns flipped a switch and recorded a 6-under par combined score during day two’s 18-hole round to boost their team standings.

“We were all disappointed, obviously, from yesterday,” Morrison said. “But no one on the team, whether last night or this morning, was upset or let their emotions get the best of somebody else. Everybody stayed motivated and clear today.”

Morrison elevated his performance, firing a career-best 18-hole score of 7-under 64, jumping 44 places up the individual leaderboard. His previous 18-hole best was a 5-under 67 during the Southern Highlands Collegiate’s final round earlier this spring. 

In addition to Morrison, the Longhorn saw two other players, Stark and Petronzio, record under-par results in the final round. Stark tied for 13th, his  best finish so far this season, carding a 2-under result that featured five birdies. Petronzio posted four birdies, recording a 1-under par score, to finish tied alongside Morrison for 25th.

Sophomore Luke Clanton of Florida State captured his second consecutive individual championship, firing a 54-hole score of 14-under-par 199, and earned a spot in the 2025 Valspar Championship. Vanderbilt’s graduate Matthew Riedel and Arkansas’s senior Christian Castillo tied for second place with a 9-under-par 204 result. 

“I don’t think anyone is very satisfied with where we finished,” Morrison said. “I think we’re all motivated and looking forward. I know that nobody’s looking back, there’s a lot more golf ahead this spring and a lot of important golf coming up. Everybody’s just motivated and looking for positives to take from this week and take into next week at Augusta.”

Texas will return to the course at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational on April 6 and 7 at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.