Texas had quality individual performances throughout the Taylor Made Waikoloa Intercollegiate tournament. They just didn't come all at once.
After starting poorly in the first round of the tournament, Texas fought back to claim 10th place with a combined score of 832 (32-under par).
The late rally by Texas was not enough, as Big 12 rival Oklahoma State took first place at 63-under. Georgia Tech came in second, shooting a 56-under for the tournament. Southern California finished in the top three, two strokes back of Georgia Tech.
"Everyone has to take care of their own business, because golf is such an individual sport," Texas coach John Fields said. "It's not like one guy can pass a ball to another guy and he can score. Every player has to prepare and do the absolute best they can as an individual, and we didn't do that every round of this tournament."
In what became the most problematic trend of the weekend, the par-5s at Waikoloa Country Club spelled trouble for the Longhorns.
"We gave up nearly 12 shots to the best teams in the country just on the par-5s," Fields said. "We were not able to come across some good fortune on those holes."
Freshman Jace Moore finished the tournament in the top spot for the Longhorns. After shooting a 4-under-par 68 Friday, he moved up from 31st place to finish 24th in individual play. Junior Jeff Bell, who has been struggling, came on in this tournament to tie junior teammate Matthew Rosenfeld with a 6-under-par performance, finishing 42nd.
"I would like to say that we will win every tournament, but with place finishes, it is hard to do that," Fields said. "We don't just play matchups against one team; instead, we are going to play many different teams. ... All of these tournaments serve the purpose of helping us find the right equation for our team."
Texas wants to find that equation in time for the Big 12 Championships in the spring. Oklahoma State dominated the Taylor Made from round one and might be the favorite for the Big 12 title. But being an underdog hasn't stopped Texas from playing well when it counts.
"It is nothing new to see Oklahoma State dominate, because they have been doing it for 30 years," Fields said. "They've been really good for a long time, but we've managed to beat them in the Big 12 Championships in the past. Together, it just makes it that much sweeter."
Texas will now prepare for its next tournament - the UNLV Rebel Classic from March 11-13. The Longhorns are no strangers to the tournament and have had some good fortune in past tournaments on this course.
"I know this course better than the one in Hawaii, and it will help with our preparation," Fields said. "It's a good golf course. There is an equation that will allow us to be competitive, and we'll be searching for that in the next three weeks."
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