BRYAN, Tex. – Freshman KK Limbhasut (73-69 – 142, -2) is tied for second place one shot out of the lead after 36 of the 54 holes at the Aggie Invitational were played Saturday at the Traditions Club. Ben Crancer (75-66 – 141, -3) of host Texas A&M is the second-round leader with Limbhasut one of three players tied for second. Limbhasut is looking for his first collegiate victory and attempting to become the second Cal player in as many years to win the Aggie Invitational with Brandon Hagy capturing the 2014 event.

“KK is very steady in terms of his ball striking and does a lot of things right,” head coach Steve Desimone said. “He hits the ball very straight and on this golf course that's really important. The course sets up pretty well for him and he took advantage of it at the right times today.”

Limbhasut played the back nine in a combined five-under par Saturday with three consecutive back nine birdies during each of his rounds. Limbhasut birdied the par-four 13th and 14th holes during both rounds, while adding a birdie on the par-fourth 12th in the opening round and the par-five 15th on his second 18 holes. He had eight birdies on the day with each of the other two coming during the second round on the par-five fifth and par-four 18th. He had six bogeys on the day.

“I will play tomorrow as if it is a normal round and stick to my routine,” Limbhasut said.

Cal (307-297 – 604, +28) is in seventh place and 14 strokes behind second-round tri-leaders Texas A&M (303-287 – 590, +14), Oklahoma (302-288 – 590, +14) and New Mexico State (301-289 – 590, +14).

“I think we were a little nervous,” Desimone said. “We got off to a terrible start and just couldn't do anything right on the front nine then we settled down and played some pretty good golf. We're a young team and things are going to happen. We've got a lot to learn and we're getting better, but with a young team you've got to expect days like this.”

Shotaro Ban (75-74 – 149, +5) is the second Cal player on the leaderboard in a tie for 15th. His seven birdies on the day were one short of Limbhasut's eight. Ban made three birdies in the first round (1, 14, 18) to help offset two bogeys and two double bogeys. He had four birdies in the second round (6, 8, 13, 18) but still finished over par as he also had three bogeys and one triple bogey.

Ben Doyle (80-77 – 157, +13), Alexander Wilson (82-77 – 159, +15) and Sebastian Crampton (79-83 – 162, +18) are also in the Bears' lineup and tied for 51st, 58th and 61st, respectively.

Keelan Kilpatrick (77-77 – 154, +10) is playing as an individual and tied for 38th, while Cameron Shaw was slated to play as an individual but withdrew due to injury.

The final 18 holes of the event are scheduled for Sunday with the first tee time at 7:30 a.m. CDT/5:30 a.m. PDT. Cal players will begin teeing off from the 10th hole at 8 a.m. CDT/6 a.m. PDT. The weather forecast calls for showers and rain most of the day with temperatures during the daytime hours in the 60's and 70's and winds ranging between 5 and 10 miles per hour.

 “We've had a tendency to play really good final rounds and I can tell you some of our guys can't wait to tee it up again tomorrow and get a fresh start,” Desimone said. “There's a real determination with our guys. I think we'll play fine tomorrow. We have a lot of ground to make up, but it's the kind of golf course where you can make up ground with some good shots and a couple of breaks.”

AGGIE INVITATIONAL (HOSTED BY TEXAS A&M)
BRYAN, TX
TRADITIONS CLUB (PAR 72, 7146 YARDS)
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD (after 1 of 2 days/2 of 3 rounds/36 of 54 holes)
T1. Texas A&M (303-287 – 590, +14)
T1. Oklahoma (302-288 – 590, +14)
T1. New Mexico State (301-289 – 590, +14)
4. Arkansas (298-293 – 591, +15)
5. LSU (297-298 – 595, +19)
6. Texas Tech (308-291 – 599, +23)
7. Cal (307-297 – 604, +28)
8. North Texas (311-296 – 607, +31)
9. Kent State (314-297 – 611, +35)
10. UTSA (315-300 – 615, +39)
11. Michigan (318-302 – 620, +44)
12. Bowling Green State (312-326 – 638, +62)
13. Princeton (336-321 – 657, +81)
 
PLAYER LEADERBOARD – INDIVIDUAL LEADER (after 1 of 2 days/2 of 3 rounds/36 of 54 holes)
1. Ben Crancer – Texas A&M (75-66 – 141, -3)

PLAYER LEADERBOARD – CAL INDIVIDUALS (after 1 of 2 days/2 of 3 rounds/36 of 54 holes)
T2. KK Limbhasut (73-69 – 142, -2)
T15. Shotaro Ban (75-74 – 149, +5)
T38. Keelan Kilpatrick (77-77 – 154, +10)
T51. Ben Doyle (80-77 – 157, +13)
T58. Alexander Wilson (82-77 – 159, +15)
T61. Sebastian Crampton (79-83 – 162, +18)
WD. Cameron Shaw