The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Amer Ari
No. 9 Men’s Golf preview: Amer Ari
02.02.2022 | Men's Golf
The Longhorns compete at Hapuna Golf Course in Waimea, Hawaii on Thursday through Saturday.
When: Thursday, Feb. 3 – Saturday, Feb. 5
Schedule of Play: 18 holes on Thursday (11:30 a.m. CT/7:30 a.m. HT start), 18 holes on Friday (11:30 a.m. CT/7:30 a.m. HT start), 18 holes on Saturday (11:30 a.m. CT/7:30 a.m. HT start)
Where: Hapuna Golf Course (Waimea, Hawaii)
Course Info: Par-72; 6,875 yards
Live Stats: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=24476
Tournament Notes
The Field: In addition to the Longhorns (No. 9 in the latest Division I Bushnell Golfweek Coaches poll, Nov. 19), the 19-team Amer Ari field includes: No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 18 Georgia Tech, No. 19 Auburn, No. 20 Washington, Hawaii (co-host), Hawaii–Hilo (co-host), Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Jose State, TCU, UC Davis and UCLA.
The Texas Lineup: UT will be represented by the following six players at the Amer Ari:
- Travis Vick (Jr., 71.58 avg)
- Cole Hammer (Sr., 72.33 avg)
- Mason Nome (Jr., 74.08 avg)
- Alejandro Gonzalez (Fr., 75.67 avg)
- Randall Fojtasek (So., 73.33 avg)
Ind) Will Thomson (Jr., 74.92 avg)
Big 12 Match Play Champs: The Longhorns earned a 3-2-1 victory against No. 10 Texas Tech on Oct. 13 in the title match of the 2021 Big 12 Match Play Championship at the Clubs at Houston Oaks (Hockley, Texas). This marked UT's first Big 12 Match Play title since the event began in 2018. Texas posted wins in Pool B play against TCU (4-2-0), Baylor (5-1-0) and Iowa State (3-0-3) along with a 3-3-0 tie against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State. The tie with the Cowboys gave the Longhorns a total of 10 points to secure the top spot in Pool B and advance to the championship match against Texas Tech. Pierceson Coody and Mason Nome each registered perfect 5-0-0 individual match play records at the Big 12 Match Play Championship.
PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global: The Velocity Global Ranking is designed to identify the best college golfers based on winning, competitiveness and season-long performance. It includes the final two years of competition in NCAA Division I men's golf tournaments and official PGA TOUR tournaments. The ranking is updated weekly on Wednesdays and will be finalized on May 30, 2022, following the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA Championship. The top five finishers will earn membership on Korn Ferry Tour, while players finishing sixth-15th will earn membership on a PGA TOUR international tour. In the most recent ranking (Feb. 2), Pierceson Coody is No. 2, Cole Hammer is No. 9 and Parker Coody is No. 28.
Inside the Texas Lineup
Travis Vick: No. 43 in current World Amateur Golf Rankings (Jan. 26) … tied for fourth place at the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 24-26) with a 54-hole total of 5-under-par 211 (70-67-74) … his 5-under 67 in the second round of the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 25) included a pair of eagles … tied for seventh at the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational (Sept. 13-15) at even-par 216 (71-74-71) … advanced to the semifinals at the 2021 U.S. Amateur … 2021 honorable mention All-American (Golfweek, GCAA) … 2021 All-Big 12 Team selection … six top-15 individual finishes in the 2020-21 season, including a fourth-place finish at the East Lake Cup and a seventh-place effort at the NCAA Noblesville Regional.
Cole Hammer: No. 8 in current World Amateur Golf Rankings … tied for seventh at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational (Sept. 17-19) at even-par 210 (71-68-71) … tied for 11th at the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational (Sept. 13-15) at 1-over-par 217 (76-71-70) … his 4-under 68 in the opening round of the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 24) included a hole-in-one … competed in the 2021 The Open Championship and 2021 U.S. Open Championship … 2021 honorable mention All-American (GCAA) … won medalist honors at the 2021 Big 12 Championship … 2021 All-Big 12 Team selection … five top-10 individual finishes in the 2020-21 season … competed for Team USA at the 2021 and 2019 Walker Cup … 2020-21 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar … 2021 Academic All-Big 12 first team … 2019 consensus first-team All-American … 2018 Western Amateur champion.
Mason Nome: No. 133 in current World Amateur Golf Rankings … tied for 11th at the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational (Sept. 13-15) at 1-over-par 217 (76-71-70) … posted a perfect 5-0-0 individual record at the 2021 Big 12 Match Play Championship (Oct. 11-13) … qualified for Match Play at the 2021 U.S. Amateur … three top-10 individual finishes in the 2020-21 season, including a tie for fifth at the Border Olympics and a tie for 10th at the Big 12 Championship … 2020-21 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar … 2021 Academic All-Big 12 first team.
Alejandro Gonzalez: Earned a 29th-place finish at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate (Oct. 18-19) at 10-over-par 223 (73-73-77) … tied for 50th at the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 24-26) at 15-over-par 231 (76-76-79) … native of Queretaro, Mexico … posted two top-five finishes on the AJGA Tour in 2020, including a fifth-place result at the Visit Tallahassee Junior Championship in Tallahassee, Fla. in October 2020 … won the 2020 Legends Tour College Preview, the 2019 AAT Autumn Classic and the 2019 AAT Fall Break Open.
Randall Fojtasek: Tied for 19th at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate (Oct. 18-19) at 7-over-par 220 (70-72-78) … during his prep career, recorded a third-place individual finish at both the 2019 Southern Championship and the 2019 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
Will Thomson: Will compete as an individual at the Amer Ari … tied for 19th at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate (Oct. 18-19) at 7-over-par 220 (74-71-75) … No. 10-ranked player in the class of 2019 (Golfweek/Sagarin) … AJGA Rolex Junior All-American honorable mention selection … 2018 New York State Amateur champion … placed third at the 2018 Western Junior Championship … tied for 12th at the 2018 Porter Cup.
Players Mentioned
