Men’s Golf Ready For Sun Belt Championship - University of Texas Arlington Athletics

Sunday, April 25

El Dorado, AR

University of Texas Arlington

First Round (Stroke Play)

4/24/2021 12:17:00 PM | Men's Golf

LIVE SCORING ESPN+ SUNDAY ESPN+ MONDAY ESPN+ TUESDAY ESPN+ MATCH PLAY SEMIFINALS ESPN+ MATCH PLAY FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

By: By: Jason MacBain (@JaBain)

EL DORADO, Ark. – Carrying plenty of momentum off a tournament title to conclude the regular season a couple of weeks ago, the UT Arlington men's golf team will tee it up in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Sunday-Wednesday, Apr. 25-28, from Mystic Creek GC.

After the 2020 championship hiatus due to COVID-19, the 12-team field will once again contest 54 holes of stroke play – one round each of the first three days – and then four teams with the lowest totals will move on to match play to determine the Sun Belt Champion on Wednesday following semifinal and final matches.

UTA will be going off the 10th hole with tee-time starts for the 1st round Sunday between 9:15-9:51 a.m. The Mavs will be paired with Georgia State and Troy the opening day. Below is UTA's five-man lineup for the week with 1st-round scheduled tee times:

1) Kyle Cox: 9:51 AM
2) Caleb Hicks: 9:42 AM
3) Paul Gonzalez: 9:33 AM
4) Zakary Jones: 9:24 AM
5) Daniel Cronje: 9:15 AM

Cox and Gonzalez are the lone Mavs with previous Sun Belt Championship experience; however, this will be the first time the tournament will be held at the par-72, 7,181-yard Mystic Creek course in south-central Arkansas. More information about each player is included later in this release.

FOLLOW ALONG
For the second time in history, the championship will be streamed on ESPN+ all four days. The direct links to watch each day are attached to this release, along with the Golfstat link for live scoring coverage throughout the tournament.

FLASHBACK TO THE 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP
Utilizing the best round it has ever shot in the Sun Belt Championship, UTA finished the 54-hole stroke play in a tie for 4th place, but the Mavs lost in a playoff to advance to match play. UTA posted a thrilling 10-under 274 total in the final round – nine shots better than its previous low SBC Championship round – to conclude with a 837 total.

Since the first Sun Belt Championship was contested in 1977, that 837 total would have incredibly won the tournament going away in any year or earned the top seed since match play was used to determine the winner beginning in 2016. The previous low 54-hole score was by Coastal Carolina in 2018, and that was an 845.

Not only was that 837 not enough to earn the top seed in match play, but it was barely enough to force a playoff with ULM to be one of the top-4 seeds to get into the semifinals. In the playoff, a five-player aggregate (top four scores used) resulted in UTA playing the 18th hole in even par, but ULM played it in -2, advancing the Warhawks to match play.

UTA SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY & RECORDS
Team Year-By-Year Results:
2014: 3rd Place – 865
2015: 2nd Place – 865
2016: 5th Place – 867
2017: 11th Place – 888
2018: T-2nd Place – 871
2019: T-4th Place – 837

Low Individual Round:
65: Aaron Guanlao – 2nd Round, 2016

Low Team Round:
274 (-10): Final Round, 2019

Low Individual Total:
205 (-8): Paul Gonzalez – 2019

REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
Two weeks ago, UTA won Sam Houston's Bearkat Invitational by seven shots with a 54-hole 13-under 851 total following a final-round 10-under 278, and in the process had Cox claim medalist honors by two shots thanks to a final-round 69 as part of a 6-under 210 total.

Incredibly, Cox – who was named Sun Belt Men's Golfer of the Week – became the first Maverick to win a tournament since Paul McConnell claimed the Western Athletic Conference Championship in 2013 during UTA's lone year as a league member.

The team crown for the Mavs was their first since September of 2019 when they were co-champs of UTSA's Lone Star Invitational; UTA's last outright tournament triumph came in March of 2018 at Appalachian State's Cape Fear National Intercollegiate.

UTA LINEUP NOTES
Kyle Cox
Career: Currently holds the 6th-best career scoring average in program history at 73.55 … has seven career eagles, tied for the 10th-most in program history.

Season: Leads the team with a 73.33 scoring average in four events and 12 rounds … six par-or-better rounds, tied for the 2nd-most on the team … carded three eagles as part of a final-round season-low 69 at the Bearkat Invitational (Apr. 13) … score has been used in the team total all 12 times … did not compete in either of UTA's fall events; played in the team lineup in all four of the spring tournaments.

Caleb Hicks
Season: Has a 74.00 scoring average as one of only two UTA players to compete in all 18 rounds of all six tournaments (Daniel Cronje) … team-leading three rounds in the 60s … six par-or-better rounds is tied for the 2nd-most on the team … has a pair of T-2 finishes … the first came at the Little Rock Invitational (Oct. 19-20) with a career-best 54-hole score of 209 (-7) … the second came at the Bearkat Invitational Apr. 12-13 (won by teammate Kyle Cox) with rounds of 74-69-69: 212 (-4) … leads the team with 40 birdies … score has been used in the team total 15-straight rounds (16 of 18 on the year).

Paul Gonzalez
Career: Is currently ranked 3rd in program history in career scoring average (record holder: Zack Fischer, 73.10, from 2008-11) … has 39 career par-or-better rounds, the 7th-most in program history (needs three more to move into 4th all-time) … 310 career birdies are the 8th-most in program history … eight career eagles are tied for the 7th-most in program history.

Season: Holds a 73.93 scoring average – the lowest among UTA players who have competed in at least five events and 15 rounds … missed one tournament due to an injury … team-leading eight par-or-better rounds … has a pair of rounds in the 60s … team-best finish percentage of 66.6 … season-low 68 (-4) in the final round of the Bearkat Invitational on Apr. 13 … has three top-10 finishes … best was a T-6 at the Bearkat Invitational (Apr. 12-13) with rounds of 71-76-68: 215 (-1) … leads the team in par-3 scoring (3.13) … fall schedule slate featured five of six rounds at, or below, par … first five rounds of the spring were over par … three of his final four rounds of the spring were below par … score has been used in the team total in 13 of 15 opportunities.

Zakary Jones
Season: Has a 75.33 scoring average over five tournaments and 15 rounds … four events as a member of the team lineup and one as an individual … six par-or-better rounds are tied for the 2nd-most on the team …37 birdies are tied for the 2nd-most on the club … season-low 70 came in the 2nd round of Seattle's Redhawk Invitational at Chambers Bay (Mar. 29) … score has been used in the team total in seven of 12 opportunities … closed the regular season with consecutive rounds of even-par 72 at the Bearkat Invitational (Apr. 12-13).

Daniel Cronje
Season: Holds a 75.72 scoring average … is one of only two UTA players (Caleb Hicks) to have competed in all six tournaments and all 18 rounds this year … season-low 5-under 67 to open the year at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate (Oct. 12) … that round is tied for the best by a UTA player this season (Zach Cole) … has a pair of par-or-better rounds … 37 birdies are tied for the 2nd-most on the team … score has been used in the team total in 14 of 18 opportunities … season-best finish of solo 13th at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate (Oct. 12-13) with a 54-hole 217 (+1) … the finish performance is also the best of his career.

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.

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.