Aggie Golf Debuts at No. 12 in Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll
NORMAN, Okla. — The Texas A&M men’s golf team was ranked No. 12 in the initial Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, which was released by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Friday.
The Aggies finished No. 8 in the final GCAA poll for the 2019-20 season, which ended prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic. In his first season at the helm of the Aggies, head coach Brian Kortan fields an experienced team that brought back seven lettermen, including six players that saw action in at least six tournaments, from a squad that won two tournaments and never finished lower than fifth in eight starts.
Texas A&M returns its top seven scorers from a year ago, led by junior Sam Bennett, sophomore William Paysse and senior Walker Lee who all turned in sub-72.0 scoring averages and earned PING All-America honors in 2019-20. Additionally, three Aggies posted individual wins last season – Paysse at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, Lee at the Cabo Collegiate and senior Brandon Smith at the Pioneer Creek Collegiate.
The Aggies saw action in three SEC-only tournaments last fall with their best finish being a third-place effort at the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate. Texas A&M begins its 2021 schedule at the University of Houston’s All-American Intercollegiate Feb. 14-16 at the Golf Club of Houston.
Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll
| Rank | University (1st Place Votes) | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pepperdine (9) | 480 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma (5) | 440 | 2 |
| 3 | Vanderbilt (3) | 380 | 12 |
| 4 | Texas | 360 | 4 |
| 5 | Georgia | 342 | 21 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 304 | 24 |
| 7 | Arkansas | 272 | NR |
| 8 | Auburn | 260 | 13 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | 255 | 3 |
| 10 | Arizona State (3) | 240 | 7 |
| 11 | Florida | 228 | 23 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 224 | 8 |
| 13 | Baylor | 216 | 9 |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | 208 | NR |
| 15 | UAB | 195 | NR |
| 16 | Alabama | 180 | NR |
| 17 | Wake Forest | 165 | 6 |
| 18 | South Carolina | 120 | NR |
| 19 | SMU | 98 | 14 |
| T-20 | Arkansas State | 96 | NR |
| T-20 | Georgia Tech | 96 | 5 |
| 22 | Stanford | 91 | NR |
| 23 | LSU | 84 | NR |
| 24 | North Carolina | 80 | 16 |
| T-25 | Duke | 72 | 11 |
| T-25 | San Diego | 72 | NR |
| T-25 | Clemson | 72 | 20 |
| T-25 | Illinois | 72 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame, 64; Georgia Southern, 63; Washington, 63; Louisville, 60; Arizona, 56; Kansas, 56; Mississippi, 50; Florida State, 48; TCU, 28; Valparaiso, 24; Ohio State, 22; North Texas, 20; Saint Mary’s College, 20; BYU, 18; Mississippi State, 18; Kansas State, 18; Southern California, 18; UCLA, 18; California, 16; Arkansas-Little Rock, 15; Northwestern, 15; North Florida, 14; Alabama State, 10; Colorado State, 10; Loyola Marymount, 10; Tennessee Tech, 10; USC, 8; East Tennessee State, 6; Middle Tennessee State, 6; Purdue, 6; Louisiana-Monroe, 5; Oregon, 4; Kentucky, 3; Minnesota, 2; Oregon State, 2; South Florida, 2; Marquette, 1; Missouri, 1; NC State, 1.
