May 20, 1999
Columbus, Ohio - University of Missouri men's golfer DAVID SUGGS finds himself right in the thick of the hunt in the NCAA Central Regional, which began today at the Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. Suggs, a junior from St. Charles, Mo., shot a two-under round of 70, and stands tied for 6th after the first round of play. Play continues with 18 holes each over the next two days.
Suggs notched four birdies on the day, and had just two bogeys. He is just three strokes off first-round leader Martin Maritz of Tulsa, who fired a five-under par 67 to lead the field of 111 golfers. The regional features 21 teams, with the top 10 teams and two individuals advancing to the NCAA Championships, to be held June 2-5 at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.
"I'm real pleased, I thought I played pretty well today," said Suggs. "I played pretty smart. I went with a little more conservative approach than usual. It's a long course and the greens were real firm and fast. You couldn't really fire at the pins. A lot of times the best shot you could make left you 25-30 feet away," said Suggs.
Suggs led Missouri this season with a career-best 74.56 per-round average, nearly a full two-and-a-half strokes better than his career average of 76.99, entering the 1998-99 season. Suggs ranked among the Big 12 leaders for most of the season, and has amassed seven top-10 finishes this year, including two runner-up efforts - at Arkansas State in April and at Southwest Missouri State last October.
"David hit a lot of really good shots today," said MU Head Coach TIM ROBYN. "I felt like he putted well and thought real well around the course. The greens were so firm that he couldn't be real aggressive - he did a good job of being patient. He's right there in the thick of things," said Robyn.
Suggs' post-season appearance is the first for the St. Charles, Mo., native, and his presence adds to a long line of individuals and teams which have represented Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. Poplar Bluff's Colby Robertson played in the 1998 Central Regional, and he finished 15th individually - just two strokes from advancing to the NCAA Championships. Jason Schultz of Columbia appeared in the 1996 Central Regional.