After dropping to ninth place with a two-round total of 12-under 564 (286-278) on Monday, No. 4 Texas men’s golf climbed back with a statement third-place finish at the Desimone Invitational at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, Calif.

Texas jumped six spots, posting a 16-under and tying for third place alongside California, the host team. 

The event featured a competitive field, with four of the 15 teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll.

Sophomore Daniel Bennett had an impressive opening day, carding two birdies (Nos. 12 and 14) along with 16 pars in the morning before making a birdie on No. 18 and an eagle on the par-four first hole to close out his 3-under 69.

He finished the tournament tied for seventh place in the individual standings, posting an 8-under 208 (70-69-69) with back-to-back rounds of 69. 

The tournament marked an unusual 36 hours for Bennett. After competing in his first career PGA Tour tournament and making the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bennett immediately flew out of Orlando at 7:33 p.m. ET. He arrived in San Francisco at 10:52 p.m. PT and teed off at 8:45 a.m. PT the next morning.

Senior Christian Maas was not far behind him, finishing at No. 12 individually, posting a 2-under 70 on opening day and finishing 6-under overall. 

Maas is coming off his third career collegiate individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate and Southeastern Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week recognition. 

Competing as an individual, graduate Matt Comegys also impressed early, posting a 36-hole total of 8-under 136 (66-70) and recording a season-low 6-under 66 in the opening round Monday.

This stretch of the season marks a demanding period for the Texas men’s golf team, which will have played in three out-of-state tournaments by the end of the month. 

Texas returns to competition at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational on March 23-24 in Palm City, Fla., a tournament at which they placed first last season. The Longhorns will then travel to Richmond Hill, Ga., for The Ford Collegiate on April 13-14 before the Southeastern Conference Championship on April 22-26 in Saint Simons Island, Ga.