UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – The UT Arlington men's golf team wrapped up Seattle University's Redhawk Invitational from Chambers Bay on Tuesday with a 10th-place finish.
 
The Mavericks posted a final-round 297 to complete an 887 54-hole total. Paul Gonzalez led UTA with a final-round 1-under 71 – his first below-par round in six spring opportunities.
 
However, it was Daniel Cronje finishing as UTA's low man for the week as he used the strength of a 2nd-round 69 to post a +5 finish for the three rounds.
 
After playing as a par-71, 6,976-yard layout for the first two rounds on Monday, the former U.S. Open host course was changed to a par 72 and stretched out to 7,196 yards for the final round. Playing the harder back 9 first (UTA teed off between holes 9-12 in low-30 degree temperatures), the Mavs collectively shot +20 on the back 9 before turning in a -5 performance on the front 9 as the weather warmed up.
 
UTA LINEUP SCORES
T-30) Daniel Cronje: 76-69-74: 219 (+5)
T-36) Paul Gonzalez: 75-74-71: 220 (+6)
T-38) Caleb Hicks: 74-73-74: 221 (+7)
T-62) Zakary Jones: 82-70-78: 230 (+16)
T-68) Kyle Cox: 80-73-78: 231 (+17)
 
INSIDE THE SCORES

• Cronje played his first 10 holes in +3 before rattling off seven-straight pars to begin his front side and closed with a birdie on the par-5 8th.
   
• Gonzalez moved up nearly 20 spots from his overnight position thanks in large part to four-consecutive birdies on holes 1-4 as part of a front-side 2-under 35.
   
• Hicks started on the 10th and went out on the harder 9 in +5 before converting an eagle on the par-5 4th hole – which played as a par 4 on Monday – and adding a birdie on the par-3 9th to come in with a team-leading 3-under 34 on that side.
   
• Jones could only muster one birdie – on the par-4 5th – but he was the lone Mav to record a birdie on that hole in the final round.
   
• Cox struggled on the back 9 with a 43 thanks to a pair of big numbers, but had a clean inward 9 on the front with a pair of birdies and a 35.

THIS AND THAT

• As a team, UTA's 166 pars for the three rounds were the 4th-most in the field; however, the Mavs' 31 birdies were the 4th-fewest.
   
• Gonzalez tied for the 5th-best par-3 scoring average in the field for the week at 2.92 (-1). Cronje's 35 pars were tied for the 10th-most in the field. Hicks recorded UTA's only eagle of the week.
   
• Site of the 2015 U.S. Open won by Jordan Spieth, Chambers Bay played significantly easier for all teams the last time the event was held in 2019, including for the Mavs who picked the links-style layout apart en route to a 54-hole 841 (-11) team total – the 4th-best in program history.

NEXT ON THE TEE
The Mavs return to Texas for their final regular-season team tune-up at Sam Houston's Bearkat Invitational in Montgomery at Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club Apr. 12-13.
 
However, prior to that, UTA is scheduled to have its five players who were not part of the team lineup this week compete as individuals at Dallas Baptist's Patriot Classic at Robson Ranch Wildhorse Golf Club in Denton Apr. 5-6.
 
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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.