Texas A&M ready for the challenge at this week's Aggie Invitational

A key principle all sports psychologists (the good ones, anyway) preach is that you cannot depend on confidence that comes from outside sources; instead, it must come from inside the athletes themselves.

In the case of Texas A&M men’s golf, as it prepares for the lone home event of the year, the Aggie Invitational, confidence isn't a concern.

With four top-three finishes this semester, including a win at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, the Aggies have enough self-belief to appease any confidence coach in the country. But, just in case the inner sources aren't enough, there’s always the final rabbit in the hat: Traditions Golf Club.

“You can’t fake it around Traditions,” A&M men’s golf head coach J.T. Higgins said of the host venue this week. “There’s a lot of places we play where you can get away with a poor shot; but at this golf course, what you thought was a good shot can turn into a double bogey pretty quick. It’s a ball-striker’s golf course, but you need great strategy, too.”

“There’s not a lot of guys who have the ability to do both and play at a high level.”

The Aggies play Traditions at least three times a week, so nobody in the field knows the course better and it isn't even close.

Strategy advantage? Check.

That said, knowing the course and liking the course are two very different things. Luckily for the Aggies, one of their most important players, sophomore Cameron Champ, considers himself a fan of the Bryan, Texas layout.

“For me, it’s a tree-lined golf course that fits my eye well which is kind of surprising,” Said Champ. “Usually courses like this don’t fit me very well, but I’ve played it a lot and my distance helps. I don’t hit a lot of drivers here, so my distance just adds to my advantage.”

While Champ and his fellow underclassmen has plenty of Aggie Invites ahead of them, seniors like Adria Arnaus, Ben Crancer and Andrew Lister have one last chance to add to their legacy at home.

During their career, A&M has finished at the top of the pack at Traditions just once (a T-1 with LSU in 2014). The Tigers are back in the field this week. LSU picked up both the SEC and national championships last year. Needless to say, the Aggies have their work cut out for them if they’re going to add another trophy to the collection.

When you throw in the other proven teams competing this weekend like Oklahoma State, Baylor and Oklahoma, Saturday and Sunday will feel like a postseason event, which is exactly what Higgins wants.

“This tournament is huge for us,” He said. “We’ve been playing so good all spring and would really like to head into the SEC championship with some momentum. LSU is the defending SEC and national champions, so we’d like to get a piece of them before we play them on a neutral site.”

Texas A&M players and coaches have been on the road every weekend since February 13th. Now, at long last, they get to sleep in their own beds, practice at their own facility and play on their own golf course.

All sports psychologists, especially the good ones, would agree: Texas A&M should have all the confidence it needs.