GLADEWATER, Texas – Zak Jones posted a season-low round of 71 to pace the UT Arlington men's golf team during the 1st round of Texas State's Tempest Collegiate from Tempest Golf Club on Sunday.
Jones – who has now bettered his score in three-straight rounds dating back to last week (73-72-71) – made a double bogey and two bogeys, but still recorded an under-par round thanks to a team-leading five birdies – accounting for the majority of UTA's 12 birdies on the day. The Spring, Texas, native is in a tie for 7th place overall.
As a team, UTA posted a +10 (298) total on the extremely challenging par-72, 7,229-yard layout that plays to a slope average of 130, and the Mavericks sit in a tie for 7th place. Only three schools in the 11-team field were under par on Sunday, and the Mavs reside just eight shots out of 4th. Rice (-7, 281) leads the pack by four strokes over South Alabama (-3, 285), one clear of host Texas State (-2, 286).
UTA SCORES
Team
T-7) UT Arlington: 298 (+10)
Lineup
T-7) Zak Jones: 71 (-1)
T-24) Daniel Cronje: 74 (+2)
T-29) Hiroki Miya: 75 (+3)
T-50) Trent Griessel: 78 (+6)
T-57) Caleb Hicks: 80 (+8)
T-52) (Ind.)
Alberto Menacho: 79 (+7)
INSIDE THE SCORES
JONES
After opening the day with a bogey, Jones birdied three of the last four holes on the front side to move to -2 and go out in 34. However, a double-bogey on the par-5 10th erased that effort, but he rebounded with birdies on the 13th and 16th to return to -2 in advance of a bogey on the par-3 17th and a closing par on the 503-yard 18th to post a 71.
CRONJE
Sitting at +4 through 11 holes, the South African rolled in back-to-back birdies on the par-3 12th and par-5 13th to get his card back to +2. With five-straight pars to close the round, Cronje signed for a 74.
MIYA
The New Zealand native sat at +2 after seven holes, but a double on the par-4 8th pushed him further back. He did birdie – like Cronje – the 12th and also the par-4 16th to post a 1-under 35 coming in and a round of 75 overall.
GRIESSEL
Making his season debut, Griessel birdied his first hole of the day, carding a 3 on the par-4, 377-yard 1st to represent the lone birdie of the round by a UTA player on that hole. However, he played the next four holes in +4 and went out in 3-over 39. A string of bogeys greeted him to open the back side, with his lone birdie on the homeward 9 coming on the par-5 13th.
HICKS
Entering the tournament with his worst round of the year being a 74, Hicks uncharacteristically carded an 80 and made just one birdie. The Arlington native came into the day with a team-leading four par-or-better rounds and an average score below par at 71.33 (-0.17 versus par) in six rounds this year.
MENACHO
Competing as an individual, Menacho had a clean card through seven holes before a bogey-double-bogey finish to the front. Unfortunately, the Peru native didn't start the back side much better, and his lone birdie – which also was the only one by a UTA player on Sunday – was on the par-3, 173-yard 17th.
THIS AND THAT
The tight-fairway Tempest GC is currently ranked as the No. 2 best course in Texas … typically stout on the par-5 holes, UTA played them at +3 (5.15) on the day … Miya is tied for 3rd in the field in par-3 scoring at -1 (2.75) … Jones is tied for 5th in par-4 scoring (-4, 3.90) … his five birdies ranked tied for the 3rd-most in the field in the opening round.
NEXT UP
The 2nd round of the 54-hole tournament is scheduled to take place on Monday. Tee times/pairing and live scoring will once again be available through
Golfstat by clicking here.
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
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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 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.
