October 12, 1998
St. Charles, Mo. - Buoyed by a five-under par 66 from No. 5 player Jeff Hughes, the Baylor Bears claimed the 4th annual Missouri Bluffs Intercollegiate team title today, which wrapped up with the final 18 holes at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club.
Hughes' knocked an eye-popping 15 strokes off his second round score of 81 in yesterday's play. His first round of 72 left him with a three-round total of 219, which placed him in a tie for 31st place overall. Baylor was in second place entering today's final round, three strokes behind second-round leader Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane slipped to fifth as a team after a final-round team score of 300, which the Bears shot their second straight team round of 279 to claim the title by three strokes over #12 Minnesota, which was second at 848. Number 22-ranked California and Kansas were one stroke back, tied for third, at 849, while Tulsa rounded out the top five.
Individually, Ryan Vermeer of Kansas claimed medalist honors, with a three-round total of 206. He fired a tournament record 65 (6-under par) to win by one stroke over Martin LeMesurier of Minnesota (207). Vermeer trailed LeMesurier by three strokes entering today's final round, but had a bogey-less round (32-33=65) to claim the win. LeMesurier was the leader going into today's competition, while Vermeer came from a tie for ninth to take the trophy. It is the second straight year that a Jayhawk has won medalist honors at the Bluffs, as teammate Chris Thompson won co-medalist honors last year. Thompson finished tied for 15th this year, with a 215 total, just five strokes off last year's score of 210.
The host Missouri Tigers couldn't get untracked from the very start, and finished 15th in the 15-team tourney, with a three-round team score of 903. MU's number one player David Suggs (Jr. -- Chesterfield, Mo.), recovered from a poor first two rounds to tour the final 18 in one-over 72 fashion. He finished 75th overall. The top team finisher for MU was freshman Mark McBride (Lebanon, Mo.), who tied for 49th overall with a three-round 222. Sophomore Blayne Rosely (Quincy, Ill.) tied for 65th (226), freshman Neal Stafford (Springfield, Mo.) tied for 68th, and senior Carey Heitman finished 77th (234) to round out the Tiger team scorers. Three other Tigers played as individuals, and they all finished among MU's best four finishers for the tournament -- but because they were entered as individuals, their scores couldn't count towards MU's team total. They included freshman Janszen Ringo (Ironton, Mo.), who finished tied for 31st with a 219 total, senior Ethan Rost (Jefferson City, Mo.), who tied for 42nd overall with a 221, and freshman Chris Happ of Winnetka, Ill., who tied for 53rd with a three-round total of 223. Had Head Coach Tim Robyn been able to put the best scores together each round, his Tigers would have shot a team total of 870, which would have put them in 8th place.
"Overall, it was a great tournament," said MU Coach Tim Robyn. "We had nice weather, and saw some very good scores. As for our team, I'm pretty disappointed in how we played -- I thought we were ready to play much better. On the other side, I'm encouraged by our young guys who went out and played well. Unfortunately, the veterans couldn't match them," he said.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
James McLean of Minnesota, the defending NCAA Individual Champion, returned to play today, after sitting out yesterday's 36 holes due to tendinitis in his left wrist. He didn't appear to be affected by the affliction today, however, as he carded a 5-under par 66, nailing seven birdies in the process. His highest score for a hole on the day was a four, as he birdied all four par fives.
After a perfect first day (sunny, mid-70's, minimal wind), the weather was downgraded slightly for today's final round. No rain fell (as had been originally forecasted), but temperatures were in the mid-60's, with a swirling wind bringing scores up slightly overall.
MU freshman Janszen Ringo, playing in just his second collegiate tournament, shot a three-under 68 in the first round, which put him in second place after the first 18 holes, one behind first-round leader Ryan Vermeer of Kansas, who jumped to the lead with a four-under 67. Ringo is entered in the tournament as an individual.