Red-Hot Men’s Golf Heads To Sun Belt Championship

Sunday, April 21

Miramar Beach, FL

All Day

University of Texas Arlington

First Round (Stroke Play)

Photo by: Spencer Stewart

4/20/2019 10:35:00 AM | Men's Golf

WATCH (ESPN+)LIVE SCORING (GOLFSTAT)FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS

By: By: Jason MacBain (@JaBain)

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – Carrying plenty of momentum, the UT Arlington men's golf team heads to the Sun Belt Conference Championship Sunday-Wednesday, Apr. 21-24, from Raven Golf Club looking for their first SBC title.

Once again this year, the 12-team field will contest 54 holes of stroke play – one round each of the first three days – and then the four teams with the lowest total following the third, and final, round on Tuesday will move on to match play to determine the Sun Belt Champion on Wednesday following semifinal and final matches.

The following five-player lineup will be teeing it up for the Mavs (tee times Central):

1) Paul Gonzalez (8:51 AM)
2) Tanner Gore (8:42 AM)
3) Kyle Cox (8:33 AM)
4) Camilo Avila (8:24 AM)
5) Caleb Hicks (8:15 AM)

FOLLOW ALONG
For the first time in history, the championship will be streamed on ESPN+ all four days. Watch all the action by clicking here or following the link attached to this release.

In addition to the video coverage, live scoring will be available via Golfstat by clicking here or visiting the link accompanying this release. Additionally, updates will be posted on the official Twitter account of the program @UTAMavsGolf.

ABOUT THE COURSE
This will be the fifth-straight year the SBC Championship has been held at Raven Golf Club, home in 2006 and 2007 to the Boeing Championship – a stop on the PGA Champions Tour. Part of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout will play as a par 71 at approximately 6,800 yards; the exact yardage will differ slightly each round. UTA has finished 2nd twice in the first four years the tournament has been contested along the panhandle shore of the Sunshine State.

LAST YEAR'S SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP
UTA tied for 2nd place overall with an 871 total (295-293-283), earning the No. 2 seed in the match-play semifinals. However, the Mavericks fell to No. 3 seed Georgia Southern in that match, 3-2.

Then a freshman, Gonzalez finished as UTA's low man last year as he tied for 9th overall with a 2-over 215 total (72-74-69). Gonzalez also went on to win his semifinal match, 2&1. He is one of just two players in the Mavs' lineup this week who have competed in the SBC Championship previously, with the other being senior Gore. He tied for 21st last April with rounds of 76-75-69 (220, +7).

GOING LOW IN THE SPRING
After posting team scores over par in the first 18 rounds of the season, the Mavs have turned things around dramatically since the 2nd round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on Feb. 23. During that 2nd round, UTA shot a then-season-low 2-over 290.

However, the Mavs then fired their first sub-par round of the year in the final round with a 2-under 286, starting a stretch of six of their last 10 rounds being under par. Included in that run are two rounds double-figure under par. Over their last 10 rounds, UTA is a combined 14-under par. Through its first 18 rounds this year, UTA was a combined 254-over par.

Additionally, UTA shot under 300 just four times in the fall, but enters the Sun Belt Championship having recorded 11-straight rounds below 300 – with the worst of those 11 rounds being a 295.

The Mavs had an average team score of 301.3 over their 14 rounds in the fall; the spring, that average has dropped to 289.2 over the same 14 rounds. Over the last 11 rounds, UTA's scoring average is 285.8.

INSIDE THE LINEUP
Tanner Gore
74.39 scoring average … team-leading 13 par-or-better rounds … team-leading five rounds in the 60s, including a career-low 65 (-6) in the final round of the Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay, site of the 2015 U.S. Open … that 65 is tied for the 4th-best round in program history and was part of a 202 54-hole total (-11) which is the 2nd-best in program history … he finished that tournament tied for 2nd place along with Devon Bling from UCLA, who just made the cut at the Masters … had a stretch earlier this spring of seven-straight rounds at, or below, par – including six of those which were under par … nine of his final 11 rounds of the year were under par.

Paul Gonzalez
Team-leading 73.41 scoring average … nine par-or-better rounds … team-best 68.2 finish percentage … two rounds in the 60s, led by a career-low 67 in the 2nd round of the Redhawk Invitational … extremely consistent all year with every round except one (a 79) coming in at 76 or lower … posted consecutive tournaments of 54-hole scores at, or below, par, beginning with a 3-under 210 at the Redhawk Invitational and continuing at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic with an even-par 216.

Kyle Cox
2nd on the team with a 74.29 scoring average … nine par-or-better rounds … two rounds in the 60s, led by a career-low 68 … score used in the team total in 24 of 28 rounds … has competed in all 10 tournaments this year as a true freshman … best finish was a tie for 5th at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate with a 4-under 212 total.

Camilo Avila
Has ramped up his game this spring as the senior has saved his best collegiate golf for his last semester … 74.44 scoring average over 16 rounds – 14 of which have come this spring as he's competed in all five of UTA's tournaments … posted the two lowest rounds of his career – a 3-under 69 and a 2-under 70 – in the final two rounds at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, and prior to that had established a then-career-low even-par 71 in the final round of the Redhawk Invitational … four of his final seven rounds entering the tournament have been at, or below, par, and the other three rounds have been played at a combined 5-over par (74, 74, 73).

Caleb Hicks
Like Cox, he has played in all 10 tournaments this year as a true freshman … 75.54 scoring average … six par-or-better rounds … season- and career-low round with a 4-under 68 in the 2nd round at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic… followed it up with a 1-under 71 to finish with a personal-best 2-under 214 total … best leaderboard finish was a tie for 9th at the FGCU Classic.

A LOOK AT THE PROGRAM RECORD BOOK
Player Low Round
1) Bobby Massa: 62
T-4) Tanner Gore: 65 (Final Rd., Redhawk Invitational; 4/2/19)

Player Low 54-Hole Total
1) Zack Reeves: 201 (-15)
2) Gore: 202 (-11; Redhawk Invitational; 4/1-2/19)

Team Low Round
1) 2007 Turtle Bay Intercollegiate: 270 (1st Rd.)
4) 2019 Redhawk Invitational: 274 (2nd Rd.; 4/1/19)
T-8) 2019 Wyoming Cowboy Classic: 277 (2nd Rd.; 4/8/19)

Team Low 54-Hole Total
1) 2007 Turtle Bay Intercollegiate: 823 (-41)
3) 2019 Redhawk Invitational: 841 (-11); 4/1-2/19
T-13) 2019 Wyoming Cowboy Classic: 857 (-7); 4/8-9/19

Career Scoring Average
1) Zack Fischer '11: 73.10
7) Paul Gonzalez: 73.68

Career Par Or Better Rounds
1) Fischer: 54
6) Tanner Gore: 39 (needs 3 more to move into solo 4th)

Career Counting Scores
1) Zack Reeves '08: 118
6) Gore: 101

Career Birdies
1) Bobby Massa '10: 387
6) Gore: 320

Career Eagles
1) Cash Wilkerson '15: 14
T-3) Gore: 11

UTA Sun Belt Conference Tournament History & Records
UTA Year-By-Year Results:
2014: 3rd Place – 865
2015: 2nd Place – 865
2016: 5th Place – 867
2017: 11th Place – 888
2018: T-2nd Place – 871

Low Individual Round:
65: Aaron Guanlao – 2nd Round, 2016

Low Team Round:
283 (-1): Final Round, 2018

Low Individual Total:
214 (+1): Aaron Guanlao – 2016 & 2018

COMPLETE FIELD (Golfstat Ranking)
31 Arkansas State
66 Coastal Carolina
67 Georgia Southern
86 ULM
95 South Alabama
97 Little Rock
122 UT Arlington
124 Louisiana
125 Texas State
157 Georgia State
166 Troy
239 Appalachian State

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.