The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
No. 8 Men’s Golf places fifth at OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
09.21.2024 | Men's Golf
Junior trio of Christiaan Maas, Luke Potter and Tommy Morrison all finish in the top 11 in the individual standings.
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Led by a trio of top-11 individual finishes from juniors Christiaan Maas, Luke Potter and Tommy Morrison, the No. 8 Texas Men's Golf team posted a 54-hole total of 3-over-par 843 (281-283-279) on Saturday to finish in fifth place in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday in the Chicago area, teams attempted to play 36 holes on Saturday to complete the event. All but the last pairing group was able to finish the third and final round, and that threesome will finish on Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. Central.
After firing a 3-over 283 in Saturday morning's second round, the Longhorns carded their best round of the tournament with a 1-under 279 in Saturday afternoon's third round to finish in fifth. During the final round, Texas counted scores from Maas (4-under 66), Morrison (1-under 69), Potter (1-over 71) and sophomore Jack Gilbert (3-over 73).
No. 17 Georgia Tech currently holds the team lead at 13-under, while No. 2 Arizona State is in second at 11-under. No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 16 North Carolina, who both completed their final round on Saturday, tied for third at 1-over 839. Georgia Tech, Arizona State and No. 9 Florida, who is currently tied for eighth at 9-over, each have one player who needs to complete the final two holes on Sunday morning. The 15-team field featured 12 squads in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches poll (Sept. 20), including five in the top 10.
Arizona State's Jose Luis Ballester holds the individual lead at 10-under with just two holes remaining. Benjamin Reuter of Georgia Tech is in second at 9-under and also has two holes to complete on Sunday. Florida's Ian Gilligan, who is currently tied for 14th at 1-under, is the only other player remaining in the field who needs to complete his round on Sunday.
Maas (69-68-66) is tied for third with Northwestern's Daniel Svard (68-66-69) at 7-under 203. Potter is tied for sixth at 3-under 207 (68-68-71), while Morrison is tied for 11th at 2-under 208 (69-70-69).
The Longhorns return to action when they compete in the Ben Hogan Invitational on Sept. 30-Oct. 1 (Monday-Tuesday) in Fort Worth.
The Lineup
- Junior Christiaan Maas carded scores of 2-under 68 and 4-under 66 in his second and third rounds on Saturday. He tied for third in the individual standings with a 54-hole total of 7-under 203 (69-68-66). During his second round, Maas was 1-over through his opening seven holes before making three birdies (holes 8, 14 and 15) and eight pars to finish at 2-under. He then recorded a bogey-free 4-under 66 with four birdies (holes 1, 7, 11 and 17) in the final round.
- Junior Luke Potter fired scores of 2-under 68 and 1-over 71 in his second and third rounds on Saturday. He tied for sixth in the individual standings with a three-round total of 3-under 207 (68-68-71). Potter tallied four birdies (holes 1, 9, 14 and 16) against just two bogeys in his second round.
- Junior Tommy Morrison posted scores of even-par 70 and 1-under 69 in his second and third rounds on Saturday. He tied for 11th with a 54-hole total of 2-under 208 (69-70-69). Morrison tallied three birdies (holes 11, 15 and 17) in his second round and four birdies (holes 1, 5, 7 and 15) during his final round.
- Sophomore Ben DeLaRosa recorded scores of 7-over 77 and 4-over 74 in his second and third rounds on Saturday. He tied for 69th with a three-round total of 16-over 226 (75-77-74). DeLaRosa made a pair of birdies (holes 1 and 10) during his final round.
- Sophomore Jack Gilbert registered scores of 7-over 77 and 3-over 73 in his second and third rounds on Saturday. Gilbert placed 72nd with a 54-hole total of 18-over 228 (78-77-73).
Players Mentioned
