Kortan provides update on A&M men's golf program following fall slate

Texas A&M men's golf wrapped up its fall schedule over the weekend, claiming first place in the Furman Intercollegiate. Aggie head coach Brian Kortan joined Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Live to discuss his program and the spring slate ahead, kicking off in February. 

Key notes from Brian Kortan interview

• The fall has been quick. We played five events in about eight weeks. It comes at you fast. We are done. Now we get to watch some football and basketball. The guys have already picked up pickleball rackets. They are ready to be college kids for a few months. 
   
• Some of the guys have a more broad focus. Some of them are just golfers and schoolgoers. The guys growing up around the game consume it a little more, while the guys who are new to it are learning how to consume it. 
   
• We started the first week of September, and we are done already. We started in Seattle and finished in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. It is fast and furious. You get to learn a lot about yourself quickly.
   
• There is no rest for the weary. Between tournaments, we come back, get into the gym, handle some school and have some practice. It is a constant buildup, especially with our young roster. We are on the younger side. We know April and May matter most, so we are trying to build for them. 
   
• We trust our guys a lot. The summer is busy, and we trust that they are doing the right work and getting better. Once they get to us, we track everything. We play a lot of golf with them. We quantify and look at everything and try to help them. The goal is to help them be the best version of themselves.
   
• We have some older influences. Phichaksn Maichon is a senior, Michael Heidelbaugh is a senior, and a few other guys are seniors.
   
• The guys who are coming up are the ones who are developing. Aaron Pounds and Jack Usner got their feet wet last year, even though their year didn't go as well as they had hoped. They started playing some good golf this summer. They got here and started playing well at home as well. 
   
• We look for Maichon to be our steady guy. He works really hard to be that guy. 
   
• We mix a few other guys in there as well. Wheaton Ennis is a freshman. Michael Hidenbaugh shot a 66 in his last round in Greenville. It is fun to watch. This week, we played with a freshman, two sophomores, and two seniors. 
   
• Maichon was teeing off this past weekend, and he looked at me and said, "This is my last round of fall golf as an Aggie?" It has been great to watch him grow. 
   
• They all grow up a little bit. We require them to do some things where they have to be adults. All that stuff is built towards them being able to handle what is next. Some of those things they may not like as freshmen or sophomores, but they see the results of that when they are older and have no problem talking to donors or giving a speech to a class. It is fun to watch them grow. We do a really good job at putting things in front of them, and they take them head-on.
   
• Wheaton Ennis is a great kid. He loves it here. He committed pretty quickly. We are thankful that he is here. He will be a stalwart in our lineup until he leaves. He is great around the guys and really enjoys being an Aggie. He is in tune with what he wants to be on the golf course.
   
• The fall could have gone better. We ran through the gauntlet early, playing nothing but power four opponents in places that would make us uncomfortable. Some of our finishes weren't great, but we were a good nine holes away here or there. We started to play better at Sedgefield and again this past weekend at Greenville.
   
• For now, we evaluate and meet with the guys for a little bit. We will do some fun stuff with them, break them up into teams, and do some competitive things. That helps us keep their attention and them stay connected. They are tired of us. We have been around them a lot. We will start to do some individualized practices. We will get right back to it in January.