Tulsa
NCAA Central Regional
Tulsa Golfers Place Third at NCAA Central Regional
5/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 18, 2002
Little Rock, Arkansas - Make it two-for-two for The University of Tulsa, as the Golden Hurricane men's golf team joined the TU women golfers by qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish on Saturday at the NCAA Central Regional. The Hurricane carded a final round 297 and finished the three-day event with a 12-over par 876 total.
The Hurricane, who began day in sixth-place, finished 11 strokes behind co-champions Oklahoma State and Purdue. The Cowboys and Boilermakers finished with one-over par rounds of 865. Purdue's 296 total was one stroke better than OSU's 297 today, preventing the Cowboys from capturing sole possession of the team title.
Tulsa snapped a string of six years of failing to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Last year, the Hurricane finished in 11th place. The last appearance at the NCAA Championship for the Hurricane came in the 1995 season, when Tulsa placed 11th nationally.
Tulsa sophomore Chris Noel carded a final round 72 for an even-par 216 total, while junior Billy Lowry shot 73 today for a one-over par 218. Noel finished in 12th place, and Lowry completed the 54-hole tournament in 17th place. The Hurricane also counted a 74 from senior Kevin Henry, and a 78 from sophomore Neil Trimm. Sophomore David Inglis carded a final round 79 after yesterday's four-under par 68.
"The guys played well today. We got off to a good start and played well for 10-12 holes, and then stumbled for a few holes with some bogeys and double bogeys. But on the last two holes we finished up fairly well with some birdies," said Tulsa Head Coach Bill Brogden. "The conditions were tough today with wind and chilly temperatures, and that caused every one to have some higher scores than had been posted in the first two rounds. The guys hung in there and finished up well. I'm proud of the way they played and excited for them."
The top-10 teams advance to the NCAA Championships, May 29-June 1, at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. Rounding out the NCAA qualifiers is fourth-place Illinois (879), North Carolina State (880), Toledo (881), Baylor (882), TCU and Virginia Tech (885) in an eighth-place tie and 10th-place Colorado (886).
Only Purdue and fourth-place Illinois with rounds of 296 today shot a better final 18 holes than the Hurricane. Individually, Purdue's Lee Williamson held on for medallist honors with a seven-under par 209 score, after carding an even-par 72 today.
After being so close to qualifying the last few years, the Hurricane got over the hump today. A year ago, Tulsa failed to win the Western Athletic Conference Championship by one stroke, and this year captured that title. Tulsa missed qualifying for the NCAA Championship by one stroke at last year's regional event, but that's not the case this season for the Hurricane.
"I felt like we were a very good team last year. We lost a couple of tournaments by a shot, then lost the WAC and the NCAA Regional by a shot. I felt like we were good enough to do it, and this year for our guys to stand in there and win the WAC and qualify for nationals is a great accomplishment," added Brogden. "None of our current players have been involved in the NCAA Championship, so it will be great for them to witness this event. They don't know what its like, there's no tournament in the country better than the NCAA, and for them to experience the NCAA Championship in their careers is a big deal."
TOP-10 TEAMS 1. Oklahoma State 287-281-297=865 (+1) Purdue 290-279-296=865 (+1) 3. Tulsa 296-283-297=876 (+12) 4. Illinois 293-290-296=879 (+15) 5. North Carolina State 294-286-300=880 (+16) 6. Toledo 291-287-303=881 (+17) 7. Baylor 292-286-304=882 (+18) 8. TCU 289-292-304=885 (+21) Virginia Tech 296-287-305=885 (+21) 10. Colorado 294-293-299=886 (+22)TOP INDIVIDUALS 1. Lee Williamson, Purdue 70-67-72=209 (-7) 2. Bret Guetz, TCU 68-72-71=211 (-5) Chris Mayson, Purdue 73-65-73=211 (-5) 4. David Jones, Toledo 70-69-73=212 (-4) 5. Franklin Hatchett, SMU 69-73-71=213 (-3) Tom Johnson, Northwestern 72-70-71=213 (-3)
TULSA INDIVIDUALS T12 Chris Noel 77-67-72=216 (E) T17 Billy Lowry 71-74-73=218 (+1) T50 Kevin Henry 76-74-74=224 (+8) T55 David Inglis 78-68-79=225 (+9) T65 Neil Trimm 72-77-78=227 (+11)
