Golf Begins Spring Slate at Bentwater Intercollegiate

HOUSTON — The Rice Golf team is set to begin its spring schedule when it co-hosts the Bentwater Intercollegiate, Feb. 12-13, played at Bentwater Country Club in Montgomery, Texas.

TEAM FIELD

Joining Rice in the 14-team field are Midland CC, Missouri State, Nicholls State, Sam Houston, Southern Illinois, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, UT-Arlington, UTRGV, UTSA, Texas A&M-Commerce and WKU. Baylor, Houston, and TCU will also have individuals participating.

JUSTIN EMIL QUOTABLE

"It is an exciting time as we begin our spring semester of competition. We've had a little over a month to prepare since school began. Now it's time to put all of the work to the test one shot at a time, moment to moment, all the way into April and May."

LIVE SCORING

Fans can follow live scoring of the Bentwater Intercollegiate by visiting Golfstat.com or by clicking here.

THE LINEUP

Raghav Chugh – No. 1 position … is first since 1991 in career stroke average (72.56) and average vs. par (+0.83) … has a 73.56 stroke average … tied for 11^th-place at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational (10/9-10) … tied a career-low with a 67 in the second round … tied for 67^th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … 2023 First Team All-Conference USA … three-time C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week … a year ago, led the team with a 72.25 stroke average, the fourth lowest in a season since 1991 … also led the squad in rounds in the 60's (7), top 10 finishes (3) and top five finishes (2) … second on the team with 12 rounds of par or better … had the best tournament finish of his career at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/3-4), taking second-place at six-under par.

Jay Kirchdorfer – No. 2 position … is fourth since 1991 in career stroke average (73.75) and second in average vs. par (+1.27) … leads the team with a 72.67 stroke average and six rounds of par or better … finished -12 and runner-up at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational (10/9-10), where he set career lows for round (67), 36-hole score (135) and 54-hole score (204) … his 36-hole score of 135 tied the school record … his -12 and 54-hole score of 204 are both the second lowest in school history … tied for the team lead with six rounds of par or better … tied for 12^th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … 2023 Third Team All-Conference USA … C-USA Men's Golfer of the Week (Feb. 22, 2023).

Jaivir Pande – No. 3 position … has a 75.67 stroke average … four rounds of par or better … tied for 26^th-place at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational (10/28-29) … carded back-to-back 72's in the first two rounds … tied for 40^th-place at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational (10/9-10) … tied for 58^th-place at the Argent Financial Classic, where he fired a second round 67.

Reggie Zhu – No. 4 position … has a 73.83 stroke average … two rounds of par or better … tied for 39^th-place at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12) … tied for 61^st-place at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational (10/2-3) … 2022 Florida Junior Tour's (FJT) points champion after earning seven Top-10 finishes ... three-time winner on the FJT, claiming titles at the FJT Duran, the Harbor Hills Open and the Sugar Mill Open, where he fired a season-best 65.

Lukas Boandl – No. 5 position … third on the team with a 73.50 stroke average … tied for the team lead with six rounds of par or better … tied for 12^th at the Argent Financial Classic (9/10-12), where he set a career-low 54-hole score of 213 … 2023 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.

Blake Benson – Individual … has a 76.00 stroke average … finished in 62^nd-place at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational (10/9-10) and the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational (10/28-29) … 2023 Conference USA All-Academic Team.

Braeden Hoyt – Individual … has a 74.33 stroke average in six rounds … tied for 34^th-place at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational (10/28-29), where he carded a final round 72 … tied for 68^th-place at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational (10/9-10), where he fired a second round 71 … led Cypress Creek to back-to-back appearances in the UIL Golf state championship.

Rodrigo Martin – Individual … is making his first appearance of the season … last year, had a 79.00 stroke average … tied for 24^th at the Clerico, where he carded a season-best 72 in the first round … tied for 28^th-place at the All-American Individual.

Nicholas Li – Individual … is making his first appearance of the season … graduate transfer from Trinity (Conn.) … last year, had a 74.32 stroke average … in his career, has a 76.65 stroke average with four top five finishes, seven top 10's and 16 top 20's.

PAIRINGS

The Owls will tee off from holes No. 1-3 starting at 8 a.m. CT. Rice will compete in groups with student-athletes from Sam Houston and UTSA. Tuesday's tee times and pairings will depend on results following the previous round.

UP NEXT

Following the Bentwater Intercollegiate, the Owls will stay in Texas when it travels to Laredo for the prestigious Border Olympics, Feb. 19-20.

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