Oct. 6, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - For the sixth year in a row, some of the best collegiate golfers in the nation are coming to St. Louis, Mo.
The University of Missouri men's golf team and the Missouri Bluffs Golf Club will host the fifth annual Purina Classic, to be held Oct. 9-10. Play gets underway Monday with 36 holes of action, beginning with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. Monday's final round begins at 8:00 a.m., as well. Practice rounds will be played Sunday, beginning at 11:00 a.m. There is no admission fee for the event, and all rounds are open to media and the public.
Becoming known as one of the premier fall collegiate tournaments, the Purina will feature a 15-team field, including seven Big 12 Conference schools. Joining Missouri from the Big 12 will be Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas A&M. Other schools involved include Arkansas State, Illinois, Illinois State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Michigan State, Rice, Tulsa and Virginia Tech.
Kansas would appear to be the pre-tournament favorite, as the Jayhawks are currently the highest-ranked team in the field, weighing in at 12th in the latest Sagarin College Golf Team Rankings. Other potential challengers ranked in the top 100 include Tulsa (#36), Colorado (#37), Virginia Tech (#44), Louisiana-Lafayette (#51), Baylor (#60), Missouri (#87) and Texas A&M (#97). Baylor claimed the 1998 title, but did not participate in the 1999 outing. Missouri has finished in the top three in each of its first three tournaments this fall, and placed a school-best 5th in the Purina Classic last year.
The top individual in the field, according to the Sagarin rankings, is Kansas' Travis Hurst. He comes into the tournament as the #10-ranked individual in the country, and will be looking to give KU its third-consecutive individual titleist in the tournament. Kansas' Ryan Vermeer won the 1998 and 1999 titles.
Missouri's top individual contender junior Mark McBride (Lebanon, Mo.), who is coming off his first collegiate win this week. McBride, the reigning Missouri State Amateur Champion, claimed the individual title on Tuesday at the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate, held in Manhattan, Kan. He tied for 31st at last year's Purina Classic.
Other Tiger contenders include senior Tom Vogt (St. Charles, Mo.) who will be making his final appearance at the tournament in his hometown. Vogt has one top-10 finish this fall. Freshman Michael Radek (Chicago, Ill.) has already notched two top-10 finishes in his young career.
PURINA CLASSIC MEN'S GOLF TOURNAMENT FACT SHEETDATE: Oct. 9-10, 2000
HOST: University of Missouri
COURSE: Missouri Bluffs Golf Club (314/939-6494) Par: 71 Yardage: 7,047 Course Rating: 74 Slope: 140 Course Record: 65 (collegiate record)
LOCATION: St. Charles, Mo. (St. Louis suburb)
PARTICIPANTS: (1999 Team Score/Finish in Parentheses) Arkansas State (659 - 6th) Baylor Colorado (857 - 3rd) Illinois (882 - 15th) Illinois State Iowa State (872 - 10th) Kansas (852 - 1st) Kansas State (903 - 17th) La.-Lafayette (855 - 2nd) Michigan State Missouri (858 - 5th) Rice (881 - 12th) Texas A&M Tulsa Virginia Tech
LAST YEAR'S TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL WINNERS: Team: Kansas (290-280-282=852) Individual: Ryan Vermeer, Kansas (72-67-68=207) Lowest Round: 66, by several
RESULTS: Results will be available via FAX-on-DEMAND. Call 770/399-3066 from your fax machine. When asked for a passcode, enter 1212 (Big 12 Conference). The document number for Missouri Golf results is #1777. Results should be updated by 8:00 p.m. the first day, and by 5:00 p.m. the second day. All local media will be faxed directly from the course updated scores on the tournament following each day of competition.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Sunday, Oct. 8th 11:00 a.m. - Practice Rounds
Monday, Oct. 9th 8:00 a.m. -36 Holes
Tuesday, Oct. 10th 8:00 a.m. -18 Holes
MISSOURI BLUFFS INFO: The Missouri Bluffs Golf Club has a site on the Internet. Those interested in learning more about the Bluffs can point their web browser to: http://www.mobluffs.com