PALM DESERT, Calif. – Led by a final-round 2-under 70 from Paul Gonzalez, the UT Arlington men's golf team posted its best round of the young spring season with an even-par 288 on Sunday to conclude the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate the Classic Club Course.
 
The Mavericks finished in sole possession of 14th place with a three-round 885 (+21). #18 Auburn ran away with the team title at –22, 18 shots better than 2nd-place Charlotte (-4, 860). Those were the only two teams in the 21-school field to finish under par for the weekend on the par-72, 7305-yard layout.
 
Kyle Cox posted a 72 – his second even-par or better round of the weekend to wrap up a +1 tournament (217) in a tie for 31st. Caleb Hicks matched that even-par showing from Cox with one of his own and finished at +3 (219) and in a tie for 37th.
 
Daniel Cronje rounded out the UTA counting scores for the day with a 2-over 74 – which featured an eagle on the par-5, 568-yard 4th – while Zach Cole posted a final-round 82.
 
For Gonzalez, the 70 represents his lowest in six spring rounds. He went out (his back nine) in a blistering 4-under 32 and moved his scorecard to -5 after 11 holes. He remained at 5-under heading to the 5th tee, but unfortunately made three bogeys coming in.
 
After registering six under-par rounds in 12 opportunities in the fall, the junior is hopeful that performance will springboard his spring campaign. That round jumped Gonzalez up the leaderboard by 19 spots and into a finishing position of a tie for 43rd at +4 (220).
 
UTA took advantage of the par 5s on the Classic Club Course by posting an impressive -22 cumulative total for the weekend – the 2nd-best in the field. Gonzalez led that charge by going an incredible -9 on par-5 holes, tied for the 2nd-lowest score among 119 players.
 
The Mavs rolled in two eagles – tied for the most in the field – and converted 47 birdies to represent a tie for the 7th-most in the field. Cox led UTA in that category with 15 birdies, which were tied for the 3rd-most in the event. However, UTA converted only 147 pars – the 3rd-fewest in the field as big numbers prohibited a potentially better performance.
 
The Mavs will have a couple of weeks off from competitive action before resuming their six-event spring regular season on Mar. 9-10 at Appalachian State's Bash at the Beach from the Surf Golf & Beach Club on Myrtle Beach, S.C.
 
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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.