Texas Men’s Golf Goes Low, Climbs to Third at Amer Ari Invitational
WAIMEA, Hawaii - The Texas Longhorns came out firing on Friday at the Amer Ari Invitational, putting together a blistering 24-under 264 in the second round to vault themselves into solo third place heading into Saturday’s finale at Mauna Lani Resort. After a solid but not spectacular opening round left them tied for sixth and 13 shots off the lead, the Longhorns flipped the script with the lowest team round of the day - and one of the best of the tournament.
Senior Luke Potter continues to be the tone-setter for Texas. After torching the course with a career-low 63 in the opening round, he followed it up with a 7-under 65 on Friday.
That puts him at 16-under through 36 holes, good for third place in the individual standings. Potter’s round didn’t start with fireworks - he was even-par through eight holes - but once he got rolling, he didn’t look back.
A birdie binge on holes 13, 16, 18, 1 and 2, plus an eagle on the par-five 15th, turned a quiet start into another standout scorecard.
And Potter wasn’t the only one in a groove.
Sophomore Eduardo Derbez Torres posted a 6-under 66, riding a wave of 10 birdies - yes, 10 - to climb into a tie for 12th at 10-under overall. His round was a rollercoaster, with four bogeys mixed in, but the sheer volume of red numbers tells the story. When he’s dialed in, Derbez Torres can go low in a hurry, and Friday was proof of that.
Senior Christiaan Maas matched that 66, jumping 25 spots on the leaderboard in the process. Maas was steady early, sitting at 2-under through 15 holes, but closed like a veteran - rattling off birdies on his final three holes (1, 2 and 3) to cap off a strong round. He’s now tied for 17th at 9-under for the tournament.
Then there’s Tommy Morrison, who showed serious resilience. After a rocky start left him 1-over through four holes, Morrison regrouped with an eagle on the par-five 10th.
Still sitting at 1-over through 13 holes, he caught fire late, birdieing his final four holes (2 through 5) to finish with a 5-under 67. That finish vaulted him 23 spots into a tie for 19th at 8-under.
Graduate Matt Comegys added a 2-under 70 to round out Texas’ scoring. Starting on hole 7, he sprinkled in five birdies across his round and now sits tied for 44th at 5-under overall.
Junior Jack Gilbert, competing as an individual, also carded a 2-under 70. His finish was particularly impressive - after sitting 1-over through 15 holes, Gilbert birdied 13, 14 and 15 in succession to close strong. He’s tied for 64th at 2-under.
As a team, Texas now stands at 43-under through two rounds (269-264), just four shots back of the lead. No.
7 Auburn leads the pack at 47-under, with Stanford one shot ahead of Texas at 44-under. No.
5 Arizona State is right behind at 42-under, setting up a tightly packed leaderboard with four top-tier programs within five shots of each other.
Individually, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun has been nearly untouchable, posting back-to-back 62s to sit at 20-under. Arizona State’s Michael Mjaaseth is two shots back at 18-under, followed by Potter at 16-under.
Saturday’s final round promises fireworks, with Texas paired alongside Auburn, Stanford and Arizona State. The shotgun start begins at 11:30 a.m.
CT (7:30 a.m. HT), and if the Longhorns can replicate Friday’s form, they’ll be right in the mix for the title.
This is the kind of performance that shows why Texas is a top-five program. They’ve got depth, firepower, and a leader in Potter who’s playing some of the best golf of his career. Now, it’s about finishing the job.