Oct. 19, 2004
CHOUDRANT, La. - The University of Texas at Arlington men's golf team had five players place in the top 12 and used that steady play to hold off collegiate golf power Houston to claim the team title at the 2004 Squire Creek Intercollegiate Golf Classic here Tuesday.
UTA fired a final round of four-over-par 292 to hold off Houston who had the low round of the day with a two-over 290.
The multiple tournament wins in a season is the first since the 1998-99 team won three fall tournaments and five overall on their way to an NCAA regional tournament berth.
"I can't say enough about the way the guys played," said UTA Head Golf Coach Jay Rees. "We stressed to just go out and play and not worry about other teams and other individuals. All you can control is your own game and I thought the guys did a great job of grinding out the round and playing well on a tough course."
Junior transfer Jeff Murray (Odessa, Texas) fired even-par 72 to tie for second with Ricky Romano of Houston at 216, three shots behind medalist winner Casey Russell of Louisiana-Monroe (213). Bryan Baker, competing as an individual, finished fifth overall with the low round of the day a three-under-par 69 to finish at 218. Jordan Krantz (Vermillion Bay, Canada) and Zack Reeves (Mansfield, Texas) tied for eighth place with a 54-hole total of 221. Junior Tyrone Mordt (Johannesburg, South Africa) tied for 11th with a final round 76 and a two-day total of 222.
Sophomore Marc Campbell (Southlake, Texas) had a final round 78 and finished with a 231 score.
UTA completes the fall season Nov. 1-2 at the South Alabama/Fall Beach Classic in Mobile, Ala.
GOLF NOTES: The back-to-back tournament wins are the first since the fall of 1998 when the Mavs won the Oral Roberts Intercollegiate Classic and the Herb Wimberly Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. That year, UTA won three of the first four tournaments, including winning the season opener the Ronnie Pfleider Invitational in Beaumont, Texas.
Final results of the Squire Creek Intercollegiate Golf Classic played at the par-72, 7,105-yard Squire Creek Country Club. Team standings -- UTA 297-29-292-879, Houston 301-291-290-882, S.F. Austin 292-298-303-893, (tie) Oral Roberts 301-295-301-897 and Rice 309-295-301-897, Louisiana-Monroe 303-296-308-907, Sam Houston State 302-310-295-907, North Texas 309-310-289-908, Southern Mississippi 306-303-300-909, Nebraska 304-310-296-910, (tie) Southeastern Louisiana 305-304-307-916 and Arkansas-Little Rock 314-305-297-916, Arkansas State 311-301-307-928, Centenary 313-308-312-933, Louisiana Tech 309316-313-938.
Individual results -- Casey Russell, ULM 73-70-70-213; (tie) Ricky Romano, Houston 75-69-72-216, Jeff Murray, UTA 73-71-72-216; Trevor Sauntry, SFA 7172-74-217, Bryan Baker, UTA* 76-73-69-218; (tie) Patrick Sullivan UALR 71-73-75-219 and Pablo Acuna, Houston 72-75-72-219; (tie) Jordan Krantz, UTA 75-7-5-71-221, Zack Reeves UTA 75-73-73-221 and Robert Gwin, Sam Houston 73-74-74-221. Other UTA results -- t53, Marc Campbell 79-74-78-231.
