Men's Golf preview: NCAA West Regional Championship
May 17, 2011
Follow the Horns at www.Twitter.com/UTexasGolf NEXT UP: Texas (#10 Golfweek/Sagarin) is set to compete at the 2011 NCAA West Regional Championship, one of six NCAA regional events held across the country this weekend. The University of San Diego is the tournament host. The low five teams and low individual not on one of the advancing teams will advance to the 2011 NCAA Championships set for May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla. WHERE: The Farms Golf Club (par 72, 6,947 yards) – Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The Farms Golf Club was built in 1988 by Pete Dye and remodeled in 2000 by John Fought and Tom Lehman. WHEN: Thursday, May 19 through Saturday, May 21 (18 holes each day); Texas will tee off on Thursday at 10 a.m. Central (8 a.m. local). LIVE SCORING: http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2612 TOURNAMENT FIELD Individuals LAST TIME OUT: Texas placed third at the Big 12 Championship (April 25-27) at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kan. Freshman Toni Hakula led the Horns by tying for seventh place at 9-over par.
TEXAS STARTERS Dylan Frittelli (Jr. – Pretoria, South Africa) • 2011 All-Big 12 • 2010 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year • 2010 PING third-team All-American • tied for 11th place at the 2011 Big 12 Championship • tied for 41st place at the 2010 NCAA New Haven Regional and tied for 23rd place at the 2009 NCAA Austin Regional • top-10 finishes this season at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational (T-10th) and the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters (7th) Bobby Hudson (Sr. – Memphis, Tenn.) Julio Vegas (So., Maturin, Venezuela) Toni Hakula (Fr. – Espoo, Finland) Cody Gribble (So. – Dallas, Texas) TEXAS TRIO EARNS BIG 12 POSTSEASON HONORS Hudson and Frittelli joined eight additional golfers on the 2011 All-Big 12 team, and Hakula was tabbed as the Big 12 Newcomer of the year. The 2011 All-Big 12 team was selected by using the top 10 highest-ranked student-athletes according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings following the Big 12 Championship. The player and newcomer of the year awards were automatically selected as the highest-ranked individuals from the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Hudson earned his third career All-Big 12 honor after posting three top-10 finishes this season. Hudson tied for first at the Amer Ari Invitational, tied for fifth at the Fighting Illini Invitational and tied for eighth place at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational. He competed in his fourth consecutive Big 12 Championship last month and placed 19th overall. Frittelli leads the Horns with a 72.97 stroke average in 10 events this season. The 2010 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Frittelli placed seventh at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters and tied for 10th place at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational. He competed at a third consecutive Big 12 Championship last month and tied for 11th place. Hakula earned the league’s newcomer of the year selection after finishing strong in the spring season. Hakula, who becomes UT’s second consecutive Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, tied for fifth place at UT’s Morris Williams Intercollegiate and posted a team-best tie for seventh place at last month’s Big 12 Championships. Hakula becomes the fifth Longhorn selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, joining the likes of David Gossett (1999), Jason Hartwick (2001), Matt Rosenfeld (2003) and teammate Cody Gribble (2010). LAST SEASON: Texas placed in the top-five in 11 of 14 events and was victorious at the Puerto Rico Classic and the NCAA East Regional Championship during the 2009-10 season. The Longhorns placed third at the Big 12 Championship and followed the NCAA East Regional by tying for 21st at the NCAA Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. WHO RETURNS: Texas returns the All-America trio of junior Dylan Frittelli, sophomore Cody Gribble and senior Bobby Hudson for the 2010-11 season. Collectively, the trio accounts for six NCAA Championships appearances and four individual tournament victories. Sophomore Johnathan Schnitzer returns after making six starts last season. The Houston native notched a pair of top-25 finishes at the Mauna Lani Invitational and the Morris Williams Intercollegiate. Junior Alex Moon made two starts last season, including the 2009 season opener at The Topy Cup in Japan, where he tied for 24th place. Senior Chris Causey made one appearance last season and placed 11th at the season-opening Topy Cup. Junior Brett Spencer played three events during the 2009-10 campaign and tied for 28th at the 2009 OIympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational. Junior Adam Wennerstrom also competed at the 2009 Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational and tied for 33rd place. Texas also welcomes the return of junior Steffan Schmieding, a three-time starter last season, and sophomore Julio Vegas. |
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