No. 20 Texas A&M heads to Omni La Costa chasing its second NCAA men’s golf title with Wheaton Ennis leading a dangerous lineup.
Texas A&M men’s golf is back on the national stage, and the Aggies aren’t showing up just to enjoy the view.
The No. 20 Aggies open the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in California with a real shot to make noise.
The format is brutal: 30 teams play three rounds of stroke play, the field gets sliced to 15 teams for Monday, and only the top eight advance to match play.
From there, it’s survive Tuesday’s quarterfinals and semifinals, then win the national title match on Wednesday.
Texas A&M knows exactly what that final stage feels like. The Aggies won the 2009 national championship by beating Arkansas, the first year the current stroke-play-to-match-play format was used.
Now they’re trying to run it back.
This year’s lineup has enough firepower to make things interesting. Wheaton Ennis enters as A&M’s hottest player after finishing runner-up at the NCAA Bryan Regional with a 16-under 200, built on rounds of 66-67-67.
He’s ranked No. 21 nationally and owns a 68.7 adjusted scoring average across 38 rounds.
That’s not just good. That’s lead-the-team-through-chaos good.
Aaron Pounds gives Texas A&M another proven weapon. The junior is ranked No. 59 nationally, carries a 69.1 adjusted scoring average and already owns three top-five finishes this season.
He also won the season-opening 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational.
Freshman Shiv Parmar might be the X-factor. The SEC All-Freshman selection is ranked No. 74, has a 69.5 adjusted scoring average and finished tied for eighth at the Bryan Regional with a 9-under 207.
Jaime Montojo brings experience and international toughness, including a start in the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Kris Kuvaas, a Pepperdine transfer, also arrives hot after tying for eighth at regionals at 9-under.
The course won’t hand out favors. Omni La Costa’s North Course is a 7,538-yard, par-72 test redesigned by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner.
The layout features a 600-yard-plus par-5 18th, a drivable par-4 11th and a par-3 16th with Augusta-style vibes.
Last year, Texas A&M missed match play by just five shots. This time, close won’t be good enough.
The Aggies have the talent. Now they need the nerve.
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