Aaron Pounds Leads Texas A&M Golf Into Title Hunt At Steelwood

Texas A&M men's golf has another tournament championship within reach, and senior Aaron Pounds is giving the Aggies a chance to make some noise in Sunday's final round.

The No. 12 Aggies finished Saturday's opening 36 holes of the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational tied for third at 19-under 557, trailing second-place Georgia Tech by four strokes at Steelwood Country Club.

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Pounds delivered the biggest performance for Texas A&M, opening with a blistering 7-under 65 before adding a 3-under 69. His 10-under 134 total left him tied for fourth individually, just two shots behind the tournament leaders.

It's another impressive showing for the senior from The Woodlands, Texas, who entered the tournament coming off an individual championship at the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate.

But while Pounds is within striking distance of another personal title, Texas A&M faces a much steeper challenge in the team competition.

No. 3 Auburn dominated Saturday's action with rounds of 269 and 272, building a commanding lead at 35-under 541. Georgia Tech sits second at 23-under, while Mississippi State shares third with the Aggies.

The good news for Texas A&M? Every player in its five-man lineup finished the first two rounds under par.

Wheaton Ennis and Landon Ashcraft each reached 3-under 141, sharing 23rd place. Ennis recorded rounds of 70 and 71, while Ashcraft followed an opening 71 with a 2-under 70.

Shiv Parmar bounced back from an even-par opening round with a 70 to reach 2-under 142, good for a tie for 31st.

Kris Kuvaas completed the lineup at 1-under 143 following rounds of 71 and 72. Playing individually, Owen Bolles finished at 6-over 150.

That kind of lineup-wide consistency could become critical if Texas A&M hopes to climb the leaderboard.

The Aggies are defending champions at Steelwood after winning the weather-shortened 2025 tournament at 10-under 566.

They've also established themselves as contenders throughout the fall, winning the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate and earning runner-up finishes at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup and Fighting Irish Classic.

Sunday's final 18 holes will determine whether Texas A&M can add another trophy before closing its fall schedule.

The Aggies are scheduled to begin their final round at 9:15 a.m. at the par-72, 7,096-yard Steelwood Country Club.

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Catching Auburn would require an extraordinary turnaround, but second place remains very much in play.

And with Pounds just two shots off the individual lead, Texas A&M could still leave Alabama with something worth celebrating.