| SPORTS
| November 5, 2004
Golf
High team records end fall season
The Mavs wrap it all up with a
second place at Tuesday’s tournament.
By Melissa
Winn
The Shorthorn Staff
The Mavericks golf team’s 56-3-1 fall record has become the
program’s best finish since Coach Jay Rees came to UTA in
1989.
The season ended Tuesday with a second place finish at the South
Alabama Fall Beach Classic in Mobile, Ala. The Mavericks rallied
from nine-shots down to claim the second spot and fell only one
shot short of first place.
Tyrone Mordt claimed medalist honors shooting 68, the lowest round
of the tournament, on the final day. Rees said the team faced a
lot of adversity with two players being injured. Jeff Murray sprained
his ankle in conditioning last week and was not at 100 percent.
Marc Campbell injured his ankle during tournament play.
Rees said Campbell was able to “limp in” to his last
nine holes and tied with Murray for 20th.
Murray said he was frustrated for not being able to help the team
more.
“It was rough on me, but Tyrone played really well and finished
strong,” he said. “We knew what we had to do and just
came up a little short.”
Jordan Krantz tied for sixth place, shooting a total of 219, and
Zack Reeves was 37th with a 229.
During the fall season, the Mavericks won two tournaments: the SMU
Stonebridge Invitational and the Squire Creek Intercollegiate. They
also finished second in three other tournaments: the Nike/Northwest
Collegiate Classic, the Baylor Invitational and the Fall Beach Classic.
Team practices will resume in January. The Mavs’ first tournament
of the spring is Feb. 4-5, at the Rice Intercollegiate tournament
in Cypress.
Until then, players are required to keep up with condition training
and work on their putting, swing or any other part of their game
individually. Rees said keeping the players focused with such a
long layoff can be challenging, but the motivation to make it to
the NCAA championship will keep them working hard.
“I think the guys are in tune with where we are and where
we’re going, and they will do what they can to stay at the
top of their game,” Rees said.
Murray agrees that the high level of recognition they have received
will help keep them wanting more.
“We had a taste of success, and it will motivate everyone
to train harder for spring,” he said.
Mordt led the team with an average score of 71.92 per round of 18
holes. Murray was not far behind with 72.76 and looks forward to
healing his ankle and getting to work for the spring.
“Once I get to feeling better, I can work out harder,”
he said. “The key for us is to try to out-work everybody.”
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