UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Playing on a course which hosted the notorious 2015 U.S. Open, the UT Arlington men's golf team etched its place in program history with one of the Mavericks' all-time great rounds Monday at Chambers Bay Golf Course as part of Seattle University's Redhawk Invitational.
 
UTA shot a 10-under 274 second round – the 4th-best round in program history (record: 270) –the best second round in program history and the lowest 18-hole score since the 2007-08 campaign.
 
The Mavs' opened the day with a then-season-low 285 in the first round; the 559 (-9) 36-hole total has UTA in sole possession of 5th place overall and ahead of top-100 nationally-ranked Indiana, Utah and Little Rock. The 559 two-round total is the 3rd-best in program history behind only a 551 and a 557 set in the aforementioned 2007-08 season.
 
#41 UCLA leads the tournament at the par-71, 6,998-yard links-style layout carved into the Pacific Northwest cliffs following an incredible 537 (-31) total. Fresno State (541) is just four shots back; UTA resides only seven shots out of 3rd place entering Tuesday's final round as Oregon State (552) occupies that overnight position while Drexel (554) is two back of the Beavers.
 
All but one of the eight total scores used in UTA's 36-hole total was above par. Tanner Gore led the way with rounds of 1-under 70 and 4-under 67; the senior's 137 total is tied for the 9th-lowest in program history and sets a personal record as he posted a 138 as a sophomore at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate.
 
While Gore is tied for 10th overall in the field of 102, sophomore Paul Gonzalez is right behind him in a tie for 15th following rounds of 71 and 67. The pair of 67s by Gonzalez and Gore represent season lows by any UTA player this year, matches a career low for Gore and establishes Gonzalez's collegiate career-best round.
 
Freshman Kyle Cox signed for rounds of 71 and 70 to sit at 1-under par 141, while classmate Caleb Hicks bounced back nicely from an opening-round 73 to record a second-round 70, representing a personal season- and collegiate career-low round. Hicks converted an eagle on the par-5 8th – his final hole of the first round – to bounce back from a double bogey on 7. Senior Camilo Avila rounded out the UTA scoring for the day with a pair of 75s.
 
All told, UTA rolled in an incredible 43 birdies over the first two rounds – the 3rd-most in the 18-team field behind only UCLA (52) and Fresno State (47). The Mavs' collectively played the par-3 holes in 2-under (2.95 scoring average) – the 4th-best in the field. In the second round alone, Hicks played the par-3s at 3-under – the best in the field.
 
Gore's six birdies in the second round were tied for the 3rd-most in the field, and combined with his five first-round birdies the 11 total propelled him over 300 career birdies. Gore now has 307 career birdies – one of just seven players in program history with more than 300 birdies.
 
The links-style Chambers Bay close to Tacoma hosted the 2015 U.S. Open won by Dallas native Jordan Spieth (-5) amidst green and overall course layout controversy. One of the top public courses in the nation, Chambers Bay's greens have been revamped since then, and the towering sand dunes, massive fairways and breathtaking views of the Puget Sound brings the traditions of Scottish links golf with a modern twist.
 
The final round is scheduled for Tuesday with another 8 a.m. local shotgun start (10 a.m. CST). Live scoring and pairings will be available via BirdieFire by clicking here or visiting the link accompanying this release. Additionally, updates will be posted on the official Twitter account of the program @UTAMavsGolf.
 
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos, videos and updates you can follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via any of our social media accounts: Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram: @UTAMavs, Snapchat: @UTAMavs and Facebook: /UTArlingtonAthletics. Follow UTA golf on Twitter: @UTAMavsGolf and Instagram: @UTA_WomensGolf and @UTA_MensGolf.