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In Friday's final round of the NCAA championship tournament, Texas' men's golf team overcame rain, wind and its earlier struggles on holes 7 through 9 - which the squad shot a combined 14-over par at in the first three rounds - to record the second-lowest score of the day. With the 6-over par 286, the Longhorns surged up the rankings from their 10th-place start to finish fourth overall.
"We got up this morning and it was raining, so we knew there were going to be difficult conditions," Texas head coach John Fields said. "We played outstanding golf in some really tough conditions with a lot of wind and constant rain. You almost hope for conditions like this, when you have to make up a little bit of ground.
"Our team is made up of a bunch of grinders, and they all showed up today, which is the reason we're coming home with a trophy."
The fourth-place finish marked Texas' second top-five performance in the last three seasons, and its third top-10 showing in the last three years.
Sophomore Jeff Bell recorded the team's best round of the day with an even-par 70. He finished the tournament tied for 40th individually with a 12-over par total.
"For me, it all came together today, somewhat," Bell said. "I still didn't putt very well, and if I had, I could have easily shot 4- or 5-under. My goal was just to play better so our team could advance up the board."
Senior All-American Jason Hartwick followed right behind Bell, coming in at 1-over par to give him an eighth-place overall finish to end his collegiate career. In addition, Hartwick earned a spot on the Golf Coaches Association of America PING All-American First Team. It marked the first time in his career that he garnered first-team honors, and it was his fourth All-American nod. He is only the second Longhorn to earn All-American accolades in each of his four years at Texas, the other being Justin Leonard.
Junior Matthew Rosenfeld recorded a 2-over par 72 to finish the tournament in a tie for 15th place with a 3-over par 283 (69-71-71-72).
"Today was another disappointing day for me," Rosenfeld said. "I had high hopes for coming out and actually putting together a good round of golf. ... I got off poorly with a bogey on the first hole, and then I had a stretch of about three holes on the back side, that I just lost my train of thought out there."
Freshman Farren Keenan also recorded a 3-over par in the final round, giving him a final total of 16-over par for a 60th-place tie in his first national championship.
Senior Rusty Kennedy finished his final tournament in burnt-orange with a 4-over par 74 after recording six bogeys on the day.
"We got it going today, but not quite enough," Kennedy said. "But it was a solid finish, and I'm proud to be part of this team."
Cal, which recorded the lowest round of the day with a 1-under par 279, won the NCAA championships by six strokes over UCLA. Arizona finished third, only one stroke ahead of the Longhorns, with a 28-over par.
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