April 19, 2001

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Tigers To Challenge for Big 12 Championship in Iowa

The University of Missouri women's golf team will head to Harvester, Iowa, where they'll look to claim the Big 12 Conference title at the 2001 Big 12 Championships.

The tournament is a three-day affair, with 18 holes played each day at Harvester Golf Club, which features a par-72, 6,125-yard layout.

Missouri, at No. 35, is one of nine conference teams ranked in the top-50 of the latest MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings. Other ranked conference teams include #9 Texas, #10 Oklahoma St., #12 Oklahoma, #29 Baylor, #33 Texas A&M, #34 Nebraska, #39 Texas Tech and #47 Kansas St.

A win would mark Missouri's first-ever conference championship in women's golf. MU's best finish was a pair of second-place showings in the Big Eight Conference (1980 and 1985). MU's best showing since the Big 12 formation has been fourth place, accomplished in 1997, as well as last year in Lubbock.

About the Tigers

In addition to playing for the conference title, Head Coach Tom Loyd's Tigers will be jockeying for position for a berth in the NCAA West Regional, which is set for May 10-12 in Corvallis, Ore.

Entering the Big 12 Championships, MU was just outside the top 10 in the latest regional rankings (as of April 18th). Last season, the Tigers earned a regional bid as the #9 team in the West Region. They'll be going for their fourth straight regional bid.

Moses Shall Lead

Senior Amelia Moses made history last year in Lubbock, as she won the Big 12 Individual Title, with a three-round score of 222 (73-72-77).

Moses became the first Missouri Women's Golfer to ever win a conference championship, and she also became the first African-American individual champion in the histories of the Big 12, Big Eight and Southwest Conferences.

Moses appears ready to make a serious run at defending her 2000 title, as she enters the 2001 tournament ranked second in the Big 12 with a season stroke average of 74.90. That's nearly a full stroke-and-a-half better than her season average of 76.26 last year, and also ranks her 35th in the nation.

Moses has finished in the top-10 this season in six of 10 tournaments, and has notched top-20 finishes in them all. In fact, she has recorded top-25 finishes in 18 consecutive regular-season tournaments (not including NCAA regional play) entering Big 12's.

2000 Big 12 Rewind

Missouri equalled its best-ever finish in Big 12 Championship play last season when it tied for fourth place in Lubbock. The Tigers finished just five shots behind winner Oklahoma, and had a shot to make some noise in the final round, but shot a team score of 318, which was 20 shots off their second-round team score of 298.

Amelia Moses made headlines, however, for her performance, which included becoming the first-ever women's golf conference champion for Missouri. Moses posted a total of 222, and was the leader in the clubhouse when her last challenger, Jennifer James of Oklahoma, couldn't birdie the final hole to force a playoff. James finished second, one shot back at 223.

Senior Tobi Probst recovered from an opening-round 80 to post rounds of 73 and 76 for a three-round score of 229. That left her tied for ninth place overall, her best-ever finish in Big 12 play.

Tiger Individuals

Playing in the No. 1 spot for Missouri is senior AMELIA MOSES. Moses has established herself as one of the top players in the region, and is the defending Big 12 champion.

Moses ranks 2nd in the Big 12 with a season stroke average of 74.90, and is ranked 35th in the latest Rolex/MasterCard Collegiate Rankings. She's coming off a 6th-place finish at the Indiana Invitational, and has finished no worse than 19th in every tournament this season (10 appearances).

In the No. 2 spot for Missouri is sophomore ELIN OHLSSON, who ranks 2nd on the Tiger squad with a spring stroke average of 77.91.

A 1st-team academic all-Big 12 selection, Ohlsson has notched top-25 finishes in 5-of-9 outings this year, including three straight entering Big 12 Championship play. Her best finish during the spring season was a tie for 10th at the recent Pecan Valley Invitational.

In the No. 3 spot for Missouri is junior JAMIE TUCKER. Tucker enters the conference championships ranked 29th in the league, with a season average of 77.69. She hopes to repeat her showing at the 1999 Big 12 Championships, where she tied for 6th, and finished just six strokes off the lead. She's looking to regain the form that saw her post three top-10 finishes during the fall season. Her highest finish during the spring season is 24th.

In the No. 4 spot for Missouri is junior NISHA SADEKAR.

Sadekar ranks 45th in the Big 12 Conference with a season stroke average of 79.00. Sadekar has the ability to make a charge up the leaderboard, as she's posted three top-20 finishes this season.

Senior JILL ROSEN will make her first appearance of the spring season, and will fill out the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Rosen has played just once this season, when she tied for 62nd at the Big 12 Fall Preview in Waco, Texas.

Head Coach Tom Loyd

Leading the University of Missouri Women's Golf program into the 21st Century is Missouri native and MU graduate Tom Loyd.

Loyd, 50, has been associated with Tiger Golf for over 28 years. Now in his third season as head coach of the Tiger women's team, he has the women's program positioned among the Big 12 Conference's best.

Loyd took over as head coach in July of 1998, when longtime skipper Mary Scott stepped down after 13 years, and he's led the Tigers to two consecutive NCAA Regional team appearances. Under Loyd's direction, current senior Amelia Moses has blossomed into one of the region's top players. Moses won the Big 12 Individual title in 2000, becoming MU's first-ever individual champion in women's golf.

With Loyd directing the charge, Missouri enjoyed one of its finest campaigns ever during the 1998-99 season.

That season saw the Tigers win two tournaments and finish in the top five in five other competitions. As a result, MU qualified as a team for the NCAA West Regional for just the second time in school history.

Loyd's Tigers finished 16th at the regional, and did not advance to the NCAA Championships, but the team's appearance served notice that the program is one of the nation's up-and-comers.

A native of Carthage, Mo., Loyd has been closely associated with collegiate golf at MU since 1969. He was a four-year letterman for the Tiger men's team from 1969-72, and after serving in the U.S. Army from 1972 through 1974, he returned to MU to complete his master's degree in mathematics, which he earned in 1975.

He began assisting the Tiger men's golf team in 1977, and continued to work with former men's coach Richard Poe until 1997. From 1977-90, Loyd also served as the Assistant Golf Professional at the Country Club of Missouri.

After serving as the country club's head pro in 1991, Loyd began his association with Tiger women's golf in 1992, when he took over as interim head coach for Mary Scott, who would return to the post in 1993.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

DATE: April 23-25

SITE: Harvester Golf Club, Harvester, Iowa

FORMAT: 54 holes contested over three days (18 each day). Each team will play with five golfers. The top four scores from each day of competition will count towards the team total.

TEAMS: 12 teams: #9 Texas, #10 Oklahoma St., #12 Oklahoma, #29 Baylor, #33 Texas A&M, #34 Nebraska, #35 Missouri, #39 Texas Tech, #47 Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa St., Kansas

NOTE: The winning team will receive the Big 12 Conference's automatic bid into the NCAA regionals.

TIMES: Tee times will begin at 9:00 a.m. (CST) Monday & Tuesday, and at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

RESULTS: Iowa State is hosting the tournament, and will have results posted on their official website, which can be found at: www.cyclones.com -or- www.big12sports.com

MISSOURI TEAM FINISHES

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

2000 - T-4th (305-298-318=921)

1999 - 6th (303-307-314=924)

1998 - 7th (315-317-310=942)

1997 - 4th (320-310-316=946)

BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS

1996 - 5th (329-336-320=985)

1995 - 5th (333-335-340=1008)

1994 - 5th (325-319-319=963)

1993 - 5th (336-357-324=1017)

1992 - 4th (321-319-320=960)

1991 - 5th (322-344-330=996)

1990 - T-3rd (319-320-323=962)

1989 - 3rd (337-309-312=958)

1988 - 3rd (335-323-338=996)

1987 - 3rd (317-322-310=950)

1986 - 5th (344-328-314=986)

1985 - 2nd (328-331-342=1001)

1984 - 3rd (336-322-321=979)

1983 - T-4th (340-337-332=1009)

1982 - 3rd (981)

1981 - 3rd (324-326-305=955)

1980 - 2nd (321-313-309=943)

1979 - 3rd (328-325-335=988)

1978 - 4th (338-331=669)

1977 - 5th (709)

1976 - 6th (736)

INDIVIDUAL TOP 5 PLACERS

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

2000 - Amelia Moses, 1st (73-72-77=222)

1998 - Stefanie Mitchell, T-2nd (76-75-76=227)

1997 - Gina Spalitto, T-5th (79-77-78=234)

BIG EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS

1996 - Kristen Samp, 3rd (77-80-76=233)

1993 - Amy Smethers, T-4th (80-81-78=239)

1989 - Christie Howard, T-4th (82-73-78=233)

1988 - Barb Blanchar, 5th (82-81-80=243)

1985 - Kelly Loy, 5th (78-83-81=242)

1982 - Linda Finders, T-4th

1980 - Michelle Jordan, 2nd (80-75-71=226)

Mary McNabb, 5th (78-74-83=235)

1979 - Konni Novinger, 5th (82-79-81=242)

1978 - Mary McNabb, 2nd (80-78=158)