Buff Golfers Finish
Fourth At Big 12 Championships
TravelGolf.com
Staff Report
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (APRIL 24, 2001) - The University of Colorado
men's golf team flirted with victory but came up just short here
Tuesday, as the Buffaloes finished fourth in the 5th annual Big
12 Conference Championships.
Baylor, No. 56 in the latest Golfweek rankings, won its first championship in posting an 894 score, which was good for a 10-stroke win over both No. 4 Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma. Colorado, ranked No. 45, was fourth with a 905 total, but only CU was a serious threat to the Bears until a disastrous 16th hole did the Buffaloes in. Coach Mark Simpson's Buffaloes were in solid position to win a conference title for the first time since 1968 at the turn: the Buffs were two-under par as a team at that point, while Baylor was five-over, erasing all but one of the eight-stroke lead the Bears had held over CU through 36 holes. Matched in the same group along with Texas, the Bears and Buffs were still only two or three strokes apart as they started play on No. 16. By the time the five golfers from both teams finished the hole, the Buffs found themselves down by some 10 strokes with little time to rally. "The 16th hole just killed us because we had to count a quad, two doubles and a bogey," Simpson said. "That's nine shots we lost right there. The hole was playing tough, a par-4, roughly 430 yards into a strong wind, but there was nothing overly unique about it. Kane (Webber) hit what he thought were two perfect shots, but wound up in the 'gunch' and had to take an eight. "We're bitterly disappointed because we had a very good chance to win with nine holes to go, but we'll regroup and get it going for the NCAA's," Simpson said. "Baylor played well and did what they needed to do to secure the win. But not winning aside, one shot would have made a whole lot of difference to us, as it meant finishing fourth as opposed to tying for second. Fourth place nationally in this conference is nothing to sneeze at, but it hurts right now because we could have, and should have, finished higher." Indeed, the Buffaloes were the only team to have all five golfers finish in the top 25, and in actuality, the CU quintet all tied for 16th or better. Webber led the way, as he still shot a 74 despite some late troubles for a 227 total, good enough for a seventh-place tie and a second consecutive medal as he was again named to the all-tournament team. Webber was two-under through 14 holes, but scored a double bogey on No. 15 thanks to an unplayable lie, and then put up the quadruple bogey on No. 16 after getting caught in the junk off the fairway. "The bottom line is that I feel like we're headed in the right direction," Simpson added, "The chemistry on this team is really good right now, the leadership is really good right now, and we've found a solid fifth man. So I'm feeling confident about our chances and what we can accomplish at the NCAA's." CU's No. 5 man, junior Joe Liley, picked a great time to shoot the best round of his collegiate career. His one-under par 69 was both his first round in the 60s as well as his first sub-par score in college competition, and was also the only sub-par round in the entire tournament. "That's going to a whole lot for his confidence, posting that kind of a number in this kind of a field," Simpson noted. With a 230 total for 54 holes, Liley tied for 16th overall with CU senior Matt Call, who shot 76 Tuesday. Buff juniors Ben Portie and Matthew Zions both shots 74s in the final round to finish with 229 totals on the 6,598-yard, par-70 Prairie Dunes Country Club layout, tying the pair for 13th. The Buffs did beat No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Kansas in the standings, as OSU finished fifth (912) and KU seventh (933). Prior to Tuesday, the Cowboys had defeated the Buffs 20 straight times dating back to CU's second place finish in the 1994 NCAA Central Regional, with CU's only other win over OSU in their last 52 meetings coming in the rain-shortened 1992 PING-Arizona Intercollegiate. Simpson found several positives with in those achievements. "We should have improved our seeding for nationals here, perhaps to as high as second if we can beat Oklahoma State in our last tournament and since we're 3-1 against Kansas this spring," he said. "If we can be seeded in the top four, that will be a great benefit to us, but that's another reason I'm disappointed we lost to Oklahoma. We won't be able to catch them with one tournament left."
Though victory again escaped the Buffaloes here, CU has now finished third (twice), fourth and fifth in five Big 12 meets here. Only Oklahoma State and Texas, both with five, have more first division finishes than the Buffaloes, and in the last four years, the three have been the "cream of the crop" in the league meet, as combined just 18 strokes separate OSU and Texas, with CU just 40 back of the 'Pokes and 22 behind the Longhorns. Simpson cites strategy and mental preparation as the keys to being able to handle Prairie Dunes' challenge, as it's already a tough course before perennial wind gusts are factored in, winds that blew up to 40 miles per hour Monday and occasional to 20 mph on Tuesday. "How you strategize a golf course is highly important, but management of your game is exceptionally important on this golf course, and we've been able to handle that aspect of it," he said. "I mean, you have to put forth the effort and you need to have your game, but the third part of that equation is strategy." Colorado is a virtual lock to advance to the NCAA Championships next month, but have one tune-up after final exams, as the Buffs will next compete in the Perry Maxwell Invitational in Ardmore, Okla., on May 12-13. The NCAA Central Regionals follow in Stillwater, Okla., May 17-19.
Buffalo Individuals
T 7. Kane Webber...... 80-73-74--227
T13. Ben Portie......... 83-72-74--229
T13. Matthew Zions.... 80-75-74--229
T13. Matt Call........... 76-78-76--230
T16. Joe Liley.......... 80-81-69--230
Team Scores
1. Baylor.................. 310-296-288--894
2. Oklahoma ............ 311-305-288--904
2. Texas.................. 314-295-295--904
4. Colorado.............. 316-298-291--905
5. Oklahoma State...... 311-309-292--912
6. Texas A & M.......... 311-314-302--927
7. Kansas................. 307-321-305--933
8. Kansas State.......... 328-307-306--941
9. Missouri............... 320-324-308--952
10. Texas Tech.......... 338-313-303--954
11. Iowa State........... 323-325-307--955
12. Nebraska............. 327-322-307--956
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