PALM DESERT, Calif. – The UT Arlington men's golf team wrapped up its 2nd round of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on Saturday from the Classic Club Course.
 
The Mavericks reside in sole possession of 14th place with a 597 (+21) total following a 2nd-round 302. UTA is just a shot back of South Dakota State (596) and five behind tournament host Wyoming (592).
 
Auburn leads the 21-team field at 563 (-13), three shots in front of Charlotte (566). Only five teams are under par for the event entering Sunday's final round.
 
Caleb Hicks led UTA on Saturday with a 2-over 74, while Kyle Cox recorded a 75, Paul Gonzalez signed for a 76, Zach Cole posted a 77 and Daniel Cronje rounded out the Mavs' scoring for the day with an 81.
 
Cox is UTA's highest-ranked member on the 119-player leaderboard in a tie for 30th at +1 (145) following a 2-under 70 in the 1st round. Hicks is tied for 43rd at +3 (147) after registering a 73 in the opening round.
 
Hicks responded nicely in his 2nd round as he was 3-over in his first six holes, but played the final 12 at 1-under – including an even-par 36 on the front side (his back nine). Cox, meanwhile, also righted the round after a brutal start in which he was 4-over after three holes. He got it all the way back to 1-over before a pair of bogeys over his final five holes pushed the scorecard back to +3.
 
Gonzalez converted an eagle on the par-5, 568-yard 4th to move his card to -2 with just five holes remaining, but unfortunately made two big numbers coming in to post that 76.
 
Big numbers were, unfortunately, a theme for the Mavs on Saturday as uncharacteristically every player had at least one double bogey or worse on their round.
 
Through two rounds, Gonzalez is tied for the tournament lead in par-5 scoring at -7, while Cox has rolled in 10 birdies – tied for the 4th-most in the field.
 
Final-round action is set for Sunday, and play is again expected to commence at 9 a.m. Central (7 a.m. local Pacific) with split-tee starts off the 1st and 10th (UTA off the 10th). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat by clicking here.
 
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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.