Men’s Golf Begins Spring Season Wednesday In California

Wednesday, March 2

Palm Desert, CA

University of Texas Arlington

First Round

3/1/2022 3:58:00 PM | Men's Golf

LIVE SCORING

By: By: Jason MacBain (@JaBain)

PALM DESERT, Calif. – A spring season brimming with potential for the UT Arlington men's golf team officially gets underway this week when the Mavericks begin the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate from the Classic Club Course Wednesday through Friday, Mar. 2-4.

UTA LINEUP
1) Paul Gonzalez
2) Kyle Cox
3) Hiroki Miya
4) Caleb Hicks
5) Zak Jones
Ind.) Daniel Steinarsson

Dating back to the fall, Gonzalez and Hicks will each be competing in the team lineup for the sixth time this season in as many qualifying opportunities. Cox cracks the team lineup for the third time, while Miya will be making his fourth appearance and Jones just his second. After qualifying for all five fall events, Steinarsson will play as an individual this week. More information about each competitor later in this release.

TOURNAMENT INFO

Format: 3 Rounds: 18 Holes Each Day
Time: Tee Times Beginning At 9 AM CST (7 AM Local PST)
Layout: 7,305 Yards | Par 72
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Participating Teams (20): #49 Boise State, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, #57 Charlotte, #82 Colorado, Dixie State, Long Beach State, #45 Nevada, #95 New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Oral Roberts, Seattle, Southern Utah, Texas State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UT Arlington, #74 UTSA and host Wyoming.

RECORD-SETTING FALL
UTA will be looking to carry the momentum over from arguably its best-scoring fall in program history. As a team, UTA's 289.87 scoring average in 15 rounds is currently the best in single-season program lore (291.09 in 2008-09).

The Mavs enter the spring ranked just outside the Golfstat Top 100 at #114, while Gonzalez individually is ranked #144.

UTA has already turned in seven par-or-better rounds this year; the single-season record is 12 by the aforementioned 2008-09 squad. Unsurprisingly, the Mavs rank in the top-4 of the program single-season record book in par-3, 4 and 5 average as well: 3.15 (3rd), 4.18 (4th) and 4.79 (2nd).

Included in the fall slate were two of the top-5 performances in program history. UTA posted a -19 performance at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (Sept. 27-28), which ranked as the 2nd-best score to par in program lore. The Mavs' 845 three-round total was the 6th-best in program history.

Then, on Oct. 4-5 at SMU's Trinity Forest Invitational, the Mavs posted an 844 total to not only represent a season best, but also tie for the 5th-best in program history and best since the 2018-19 season.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS

Gonzalez has been arguably the best golfer in the Sun Belt Conference so far this season. The Waxahachie native has five top-20 finishes in as many chances, including back-to-back top 5s and a runner-up showing at Trinity Forest. The senior has a gaudy 70.93 scoring average over 15 rounds this year, including 11 performances of under- or even-par golf and seven rounds in the 60s. Additionally, he posted consecutive 205s in the fall season which were tied for the 4th-lowest totals in program history.
Cox had an up-and-down fall season as he competed in the team lineup twice and as an individual twice. Seven of the lefty's 12 rounds in the fall were par-or-better – the 2nd-most on the team – but he also had three rounds of +6 or higher. All told, Cox's scoring average is 73.42, and he capped the fall with consecutive rounds of 1-under 71 at the Little Rock Invitational Oct. 18-19.
Miya competed in three events as part of the team lineup in the fall and carries a 75.67 scoring average into California. His best round of the season was an opening-round 72 at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite in late September, and his best finish in those three events was a T-22 at UTSA's Lone Star Invitational.
Hicks, a 2021 U.S. Amateur Round of 64 competitor last summer, has a 73.07 scoring average in 15 rounds to rank 2nd on the team. He also ranks 3rd in par-or-better rounds (six) and 2nd in rounds in the 60s (two). All but one of his 15 rounds this year have been used in the team score, and the one which wasn't was only a round of +3.
Jones only teed it up in three rounds in the fall at Trinity Forest, posting performances of 73-71-73 on the par-71 layout in Dallas.
Steinarsson had his score used in 14 of the 15 team totals in the fall, with the lone exception being a very respectable +1 1st round in Colorado. The Icelander carries a 73.53 scoring average into the spring which features five par-or-better rounds and a season-low 70 on two occasions. Those rounds helped fuel a career-best T-17 at Trinity Forest as part of 214 total (70-70-74).

LAST TIME HERE
UTA did not compete in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in 2021 due to COVID. Last time the Mavs teed it up at Classic Club in 2020, they posted a 14th-place finish with Cox leading the way at +1 for the week. In 2019, UTA tied for 5th place in the 21-team field, bettering its scoring each day: 301-290-286. That final-round 2-under performance represented a season low at the time for the Mavs, and it spearheaded an incredible stretch of golf as nine of UTA's final 13 rounds that spring were below par.

GONZALEZ IN THE PROGRAM RECORD BOOK
With his hot start to the season, Gonzalez has positioned himself in numerous top-3 career lists in the program record book, including:

Scoring Average
1) Paul Gonzalez: 73.01
2) Zack Fischer: 73.10
3) Paul McConnell: 73.17

Par-Or-Better Rounds
1) Zack Fischer: 54
2) Paul Gonzalez: 50
   Zack Reeves
4) Tyrone Mordt: 49

Birdies
1) Bobby Massa: 387
2) Paul Gonzalez: 379
3) Zack Reeves: 377

Eagles
1) Cash Wilkerson: 14
2) Zack Reeves: 12
3) Paul Gonzalez: 11
    Kyle Cox
    Tanner Gore
    Bobby Massa

NEXT UP
The Mavs – who have five spring regular-season tournaments scheduled – will have a week off before teeing it up in the Grand Canyon Invitational in Phoenix Mar. 14-15. The Sun Belt Championship is set for Apr. 24-27 at Mystic Creek GC in El Dorado, Ark.

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: @UTAMavsMGolf 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 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.