After carding four straight rounds in the 60s, Texas senior golfer Christiaan Maas was crowned the individual champion this past weekend at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore.
No. 5 Maas defeated the rest of the field by 10 strokes.
Missing out on the tournament record by one stroke, Maas’ 22-under par led Team South Africa to its first team championship in tournament history. South Africa outplayed Team Australia by eight strokes to secure its best finish since capturing a silver medal in 1980.
Maas became the first South African to win the Eisenhower Trophy, joining an elite group of winners such as Jack Nicklaus and Rickie Fowler.
After an opening with back-to-back 66s on Wednesday and Thursday to capture the lead, Maas never looked back.
“I’m relieved and happy that I kept my head down and didn’t back off,” Maas said in a press conference after the tournament. “It’s a long week, and building a lead comes with a lot of pressure. You don’t want to mess it up.”
Maas was not the only Longhorn who competed this past weekend, as sophomore Daniel Bennett also contributed to South Africa’s victory. After opening with a one-over 73, Bennett caught fire, finishing at 7-under par to place eighth overall within the 108-player field.
“It’s pretty incredible that this is the first time (South Africa has won),” Bennett said in a press conference after the victory. “We’ve got such a great group around us, and we are very thankful to everyone back home and all the support we’ve had. Christiaan has been playing good all week, and we just needed one other good score.”
Bennett gave Maas the other good score he needed with a 69 on day two, Thursday, and a 67 on day three, Friday.
South Africa set a tournament record for the lowest team score in tournament history, leaving South African captain Gavin Groves with nothing but gratitude for this week.
“The guys played unbelievable golf the whole week,” Groves said to the Asia-Pacific Golf Association. “It’s just been such a great experience being here. The hospitality of Singapore, the people, the staff has been just incredible. Obviously, the trophy is just the cherry on top.”
In addition to Maas and Bennett, Texas sophomore Eduardo Derbez Torres competed for Team Mexico. Derbez Torres finished in sixth place individually and shot the low round of the week with a 64 on Friday. All three Longhorns who competed placed in the top 10 individually.
With Maas, Bennett and Debrez Lopez back on the Forty Acres, Texas will play its final tournament of the fall season Oct. 19-21 in the Williams Cup in Wilmington, North Carolina.
