May 16, 2009

NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL FINAL RESULTS

GALLERY

AUSTIN, Tx. - The UTA golf team came into Saturday's final round of the NCAA Golf Regional in Austin with a chance to make its first appearance in the NCAA Finals.

Five shots and four teams stood between the Mavs and a trip to the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio at the end of the month and for a brief while Saturday afternoon, the Mavericks were one of the five teams that was headed to the national tournament.

But a pair of double bogeys in the span of 15 minutes dashed UTA's hopes as they finished eighth which was the highest finish an UT Arlington team has ever posted in seven NCAA Regional appearances.

The Mavericks had the fourth team score of the day for the second consecutive day at 11-over 295 but that was not enough as they finished five shots out of fifth place.

"I thought 39 (over par) would be the number but it turned out to be 36," UTA head coach Jay Rees said. "We had our chances but we just could not overcome the double bogeys today and the triples Thursday. When we had misses they turned into big numbers and that was really the story of the week."

Just as the Mavericks were about to begin their round, a strong line of thunderstorms rolled through Austin and halted play for two and a half hours. UTA had gotten off to a good start and while it was just a few holes, that chance to advance was becoming more of a reality.

When play resumed, the players found a water-logged course with little or no wind. The Mavericks took advantage of those conditions as at any one time, they were between two and four shots out of fifth place.

It was later in the round when UTA was briefly in fourth place. Kevin Carrigan the found the trees with his approach shot on the par four third and then a few minutes later Michael Van deVenter hit an errant tee shot on the par four seventh.

Both players were forced to take a drop and went on to make double bogeys and those results virtually eliminated any chance of the team making it into the top five.

"We had six double bogeys today and that is too many to move up in a tournament like this," Rees said. "I'm proud of my team though. They continued to compete, even after the high score on the first day, and they ended up with the best finish at this event in school history."

Carrigan finished with a three-over 74 on the day which included a three-putt from five feet on the seventh hole, his 16th of the day. The senior did make birdie on his last hole and finished tied for 18th in the tournament at nine-over par.

Zack Fischer also shot 74 Saturday and finished tied with Carrigan at 18th. The sophomore had the biggest highlight of the day for UTA as he holed a 90-yard wedge shot from the fairway on the par four sixth hole, his 15th of the day.

Bryce Easton had the best round of the day by an UTA player as he carded a one-over 71. He finished the tournament at 12-over and in a tie for 31st.

Easton had consecutive triple bogeys on Thursday and was just six-over on his other 52 holes during the tournament.

Van deVenter finished with a four-over par 75 on the day. Bobby Massa, who struggled all week with a case of the flu, shot 76 Saturday and finished in a tie for 50th with a score of 231.

"We have four of the five players who played this week coming back next year," Rees said. "Now they have been in the hunt for a NCAA final spot and hopefully this experience will pay off next year."

As for the remainder of the tournament, the University of Florida fired a 10-over-par 294 on Saturday to earn a two-stroke victory. The Gators, who began the day in third place and four strokes off the lead, posted a 54-hole total of 22-over-par 874 (293-287-294).

Texas junior Lance Lopez posted a 1-over-par 72 to claim a five-stroke victory in the individual standings with a three-round total of 4-under-par 209 (68-69-72). Lopez became just the third player in school history to earn medalist honors at a NCAA regional, joining Justin Leonard (1992) and John Klauk (2001). Florida senior Billy Horschel used a final-round 3-under-par 68 to place second at 1-over-par 214 (72-74-68), while Texas Tech's Chris Ward finished third at 2-over-par 215 (71-73-71).

Texas Tech finished in second place at 24-over-par 876 (282-296-298) after recording a 14-over-par 298 in Saturday's final round, while host Texas placed third in the team standings at 25-over-par 877 (291-285-301). Stanford, the top seed at the Austin Regional, finished in fourth place at 35-over-par 887 (294-299-294). Michigan fired an 8-over-par 292, the low 18-hole team score on Saturday, to place fifth and secure the final team qualifying spot at the Austin Regional for the NCAA Championships.

The low five teams and low individual not on those teams at the Austin Regional advanced to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 26-30 in Toledo, Ohio. Lamar junior Hugues Joannes earned the individual qualifying spot for nationals, tying for fourth place with a 54-hole total of 3-over-par 216 (68-74-74).