DALLAS – On the heels of one of the best scoring performances in program history last week in Colorado, the UT Arlington men's golf team continued its strong play with a 2nd-place finish on Tuesday at SMU's Trinity Forest Invitational from Trinity Forest Golf Club.
 
The week once again featured two of the top-5 performances in program history, with Paul Gonzalez continuing his torrid start to the 2021-22 season as the Waxahachie native tied for 2nd overall thanks to a third-straight round in the 60s with a closing 2-under 69 to post -8 for the 54 holes.
 
Following back-to-back rounds of 68 on Monday, Gonzalez signed for his second-straight 205 total – tied for 4th-best score in program lore. The all-time mark is 201 set by Zack Reeves at the 2007 Turtle Bay Resort Intercollegiate. Five of Gonzalez's last six rounds have been in the 60s (lone exception: 70), and he is averaging a team-best 70.58 in 12 rounds this year – which includes an uncharacteristic 82.
 
Gonzaelz helped spearhead a Mavericks' squad which finished with an 8-under 844 total for the tournament following a 287 in the final round. SMU defended its home course with a victory at -26; Little Rock and Middle Tennessee both finished four shots back of UTA in a tie for 3rd at -4. The other 10 teams in the field all finished above par for the 54 holes.
 
UTA's 844 total not only represents a season best, but it also ties for the 5th-best in program history and best since the 2018-19 season. The all-time record is a gaudy 823 established at the aforementioned 2007 Turtle Bay Resort Intercollegiate.
 
In addition to Gonzalez, UTA had another top-10 finisher in Caleb Hicks as the Arlington native posted his best finish of the year with a tie for 10th thanks to a 3-under 210 total – one shot shy of equaling his career best.
 
UTA SCORES
Team
2) UT Arlington: 276-281-287: 844 (-8)
 
Lineup
T-2) Paul Gonzalez: 68-68-69: 205 (-8)
T-10) Caleb Hicks: 67-72-71: 210 (-3)
T-17) Daniel Steinarsson: 70-70-74: 214 (+1)
T-29) Zak Jones: 73-71-73: 217 (+4)
57) Daniel Cronje: 71-78-76: 225 (+12)
 
Individual
T-35) Kyle Cox: 70-72-77: 219 (+6)
 
INSIDE THE ROUND
Gonzalez

• Went out in 2-under 34 thanks to a trio of birdies and just one bogey. Came in with an even-par 35 after a birdie on the par-3 12th and bogey on the par-4 16th which prevented him from potentially posting a third-straight 68.

Hicks

• Got off to a hot start with birdies on four of his first eight holes, but a pair of bogeys in that same stretch had him make the turn at -2. A pair of bogeys on the back side set him further back, but Hicks still posted a level-par round with seven pars on the inward stretch.

Steinarsson

• Erased a double bogey on the par-4 4th with birdies on the 5th and 7th. After going out in 37, his back 9 featured two birdies, two bogeys and a double as the Icelander came in with another 37 en route to a 74 total.

Jones

• Concluding his season-opening tournament, Jones had nothing higher on his card than a bogey, but he made five of them against three birdies which came on the short par-4 5th, long par-5 7th and par-4 10th.

Cronje

• The South African couldn't get anything going in the final round as he was unable to convert any birdies and made five bogeys on what otherwise was a 13-par day.

Cox

• Competing as an individual, Cox started on the back and posted a 38 which included a triple on the par-4 15th. A birdie on the 18th looked like a potential turning point, but bogeys on four of his first six holes after making the turn to the front prevented that from occurring.

THIS AND THAT
Gonzalez led the field in par-3 scoring for the week at 2.67, while Steinarsson was 2nd alone at 2.75 … Hicks tied for the field lead in par-5 scoring at 4.11, and Gonzalez tied for 5th with a 4.33 average … Jones was tied for 2nd in the field with 14 birdies, and Gonzalez was close behind him as he tied for 6th with 13 … UTA was the only team in the field to shoot under par on the par 3s at 2.97 for the week … the Mavs also finished 2nd in the field in par-5 scoring at 4.51 and converted the 2nd-most birdies in the field with 56 … the average score for the field on the par-71, 7,330-yard layout was 73.41 for the three rounds … the course was the host of the PGA TOUR's AT&T Byron Nelson from 2018-20.
 
NEXT UP
The Trinity Forest Invitational was the last of a four-tournament-in-four-week stretch for UTA to open the 2021-22 season. After one week away from competition, the Mavs conclude the fall portion of their season Oct. 18-19 at the Little Rock Invitational.
 
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ABOUT TEXAS RANGERS GOLF CLUB
Opened in February of 2019, the state-of-the-art Texas Rangers Golf Club is the new home of UTA'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.
 
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 – which just opened in March of 2021 – features 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.