Men's Golf To Begin 2020-21 Season Monday - University of Texas Arlington Athletics

JONESBORO, Ark. – The UT Arlington men's golf team is finally scheduled to begin its 2020-21 season this coming Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 12-13, at Arkansas State's Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate from RidgePointe Country Club.

Action is set to commence with 36 continuous holes on Monday with the final round slated for Tuesday. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat by following the link attached to this release or by clicking here.

This event format will be play six, count four, meaning UTA – and all other teams – will have six team members in its lineup and the four lowest scores each of the three rounds will count toward the team total.

Those six Mavericks who will be teeing it up on the par-72, 6,565-yard layout include:

1) Paul Gonzalez
2) Daniel Cronje
3) Jacob Massengale
4) Caleb Hicks
5) Zach Cole
6) Zakary Jones

In an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all six Mavericks – like every other team – will be grouped in threes and playing together. Jones, Cole and Hicks will go off the 10th at 8:18 a.m., with Massengale, Cronje and Gonzalez following right behind at 8:26 a.m.

In addition to UTA and host Arkansas State, the following teams will also be competing: Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Missouri State, Oral Roberts, Southern Illinois, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State, Indian Hills CC and Oklahoma Christian.

Last year at this same event on nearly the same exact days, UTA posted a 3rd-place finish in the field of 13 with a three-round 867 (+3) total – 13 shots clear of 4th-place South Dakota. A-State protected its home course by running away with an 829 (-35) score; Oral Roberts was 2nd at 856 (-8).

Four of UTA's six members competing this week were in the lineup last year, with only senior Massengale and redshirt senior Cole not having seen the course before in competition. Of the returning quartet, junior Jones led the Mavs with a solo 14th-place finish (73-72-73: 218, +2), while sophomore Cronje was one shot back (+3), junior Hicks posted a +5 showing and senior Gonzalez uncharacteristically signed for +9.

For Gonzalez, that 225 total was the worst of his junior year, while Jones secured a career-best finish and equaled his best 54-hole score.

Gonzalez enters his final campaign in the blue and orange poised to finish with the best scoring average in program history; through 83 rounds, he holds a 73.06 average – .04 ahead of the current record holder Zack Fischer (73.10 from 2008-11). Gonzalez has 31 career par-or-better rounds, which is tied for the 10th-most in program history (leader: Fischer, 54). Additionally, his 267 career birdies are the 9th-most in program history (leader: Bobby Massa with 387 from 2007-10).

Cronje posted a 75.05 scoring average over 21 rounds last year, competing in all seven tournaments and making the team lineup in six of those. He rolled in one eagle and registered 47 birdies while securing three par-or-better rounds.

Massengale will be making just his third-career appearance in the team lineup. He competed as part of the team lineup in UTA's final event last season before the shutdown in March at Appalachian State's Bash at the Beach.

Hicks finished 3rd on the team with a 73.52 scoring average over 21 rounds last season, posting the 3rd-best par-3 scoring average in single-season program history (3.07). He ended the season with consecutive rounds of 67 and 69, and his score was used in the team total in 20 of 21 opportunities. He only had four rounds all year higher than 75, and none above 80.

Cole carded a 77.20 scoring average over 15 rounds in 2019-20, but finished on a high note with a season-best 72 in the final round of the Bash at the Beach. After appearing as an individual in two events in the fall, he cracked the team lineup in all three spring tournaments, culminating with a personal-best 54-hole score of 222 (74-76-72) at the Bash at the Beach.

Jones posted a 74.67 scoring average over 15 rounds last season, competing in four tournaments as part of the team lineup and one event as an individual. In 12 opportunities, his score was used in the team total nine times.

The 2019-20 season was canceled in mid-March due to COVID-19 with UTA still scheduled to play in three regular-season events prior to the Sun Belt Conference Championship and any other postseason events.

This is one of only two events in the fall for the Mavs, who are planning to have a more complete, traditional spring schedule. UTA will conclude the fall portion of the docket next week, Oct. 19-20, at the Little Rock Invitational.

FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos of the UTA men's golf program, follow us on Twitter: @UTAMavsMGolf, Instagram: @UTAMensMGolf and Facebook: /UTAMavsMGolf.

THE NEW HOME OF UTA GOLF: Texas Rangers Golf Club
The recently-opened state-of-the-art Texas Rangers Golf Club is the new home of the UT Arlington's men's and women's golf programs. The world's only Major League Baseball-branded golf course, TRGC is the result of a $24 million renovation and updated routing of the former Chester W. Ditto Golf Course at Brown Boulevard and Collins Street, just a few miles north of UTA's campus. The Home of UTA Golf was designed by UTA alumni John Colligan and Trey Kemp of Arlington-based Colligan Golf Design. It features an expansive 23-acre practice area, and a new 33,871-square-foot clubhouse – set to open in early 2020 – will feature a full-service restaurant and bar, covered patio overlooking the golf course, pro shop, locker rooms and numerous rental and event spaces. For more information about TRGC, click here.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Zach Cole

Daniel Cronje

Paul Gonzalez

Caleb Hicks

Zak Jones

Jacob Massengale

Footer