After 36 holes of play Saturday and 18 holes Sunday, the University of Texas men’s golf team exhibited their top three ranking at Great Waters by winning the 10th annual Linger Longer Invitational. The Longhorns came out on top after posting a team score of 24 under par. Texas pulled away from defending champion, Georgia, on Sunday - finishing five strokes ahead overall with a score of 840 on 54 holes.
Players faced rainy conditions for the final 18 holes of play following a gorgeous Saturday filled with sunshine and blue skies. The Longhorns maintained their focus, however, finishing with a team score of 5 under par in the final round of play. Defending team champ, Georgia was the only other team to shoot below par Sunday with a score of 3 under par.
“Our upperclassmen did a great job in tough conditions,” said Texas head coach, John Fields. “Beau (Hossler) and Gavin (Hall), with 68 and 69, were outstanding. Kramer (Hickok) with a 72 was equally solid. Their combined experience served us well. Our freshmen are gaining valuable experience and bringing a lot to the table.”
No. 35 Georgia finished the tournament strong to earn second place honors with their score of 19 under. Texas also faced four opponents ranked in the top 25. No. 20 North Carolina and No. 25 Kennesaw State finished tied for third, No. 15 Oklahoma finished sixth and No. 24 Alabama finished in seventh.
Georgia’s Lee McCoy took home the individual honors with an impressive 14 under par for the tournament. McCoy started strong by shooting a 65 on his first 18 holes of play and followed with a 70 and 67 in rounds two and three. Texas sophomore, Beau Hossler, made things interesting after making two eagles on his first nine holes of play (holes 2 and 6). Hossler went on to play a strong tournament as well; posting 67, 69 and 68 on his three rounds of play, but it wasn’t enough to catch McCoy in the end.
For Texas, this was their third-straight tournament win in the month of March. The Longhorns secured the title at both the Johnny Hayt Invitational and Southern Highlands Invitational earlier in the month. The last time UT won three-straight tournaments was in the 2012-2013 season.
Co-hosted by Kennesaw State University and Mercer University, the Linger Longer Invitational has been an annual showcase for college golf teams from coast to coast since 2006. Numerous PGA Tour winners played in the Linger Longer Invitational, including Rickie Fowler (Oklahoma State); Chris Kirk, Harris English, and Russell Henley (Georgia); Brooks Koepka and Jonas Blixt (Florida State); Kyle Stanley (Clemson); as well as European Tour winner Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State). But only one member of that talented group was able to win at Reynolds Lake Oconee – Kirk, in 2007 on the Oconee course. Since its inception, the Invitational has been played at three of the six courses at Reynolds Lake Oconee – The Oconee, The Landing and Great Waters.
