March 17, 2002
Huntersville, N.C. - The University of Missouri men's golf team finished 2nd of 18 teams in the prestigious Birkdale Collegiate Classic. The Tigers finished just two shots back of third-ranked Wake Forest, which won with a two-round total of 570, to Mizzou's 572. The Tigers' shot at upsetting the Demon Deacons was cut short by poor weather on Sunday, leaving Saturday's 36 holes as the final results.
Senior standout Mark McBride led the way individually for the Tigers, with a 4th-place finish. McBride shot a four-under par 68 and followed with an even-par 72 Saturday for a two-round total of 140. That was just two shots back of individual champ Bill Haas of Wake Forest (66-72=138).
Sophomore Brandon Knaub and junior Cory Ewert also notched top-20 finishes for Head Coach Tim Robyn. Knaub stood alone in 15th place overall after rounds of 73 and 70 left him with a 36-hole total of 143 on Saturday. Ewert went three-under par (69) in his opening round Saturday, and followed with a 75 in the afternoon round to tie for 16th individually (144).
Junior Chris Happ tied for 32nd (75-71=146) while sophomore Mike Radek tied for 72nd overall (82-74=156) to round out the Tiger lineup.
Next up for Missouri is the Stevinson Ranch Invitational, set for March 25-26 in Stevinson, Calif.
TEAM STANDINGS Pl School 1st 2nd 3rd Tot 1 Wake Forest 281 289 570 2 MISSOURI 285 287 572 3 Virginia 291 283 574 Georgia Southern 290 284 574 5 Baylor 294 281 575 6 Virginia Commonwealth 293 288 581 Colorado St. 295 286 581 Coastal Carolina 293 288 581 9 UNC-Wilmington 297 287 584 10 North Carolina 294 291 585 11 Old Dominion 294 292 586 12 East Carolina 295 295 590 13 Wofford 298 294 592 14 Charlotte 307 290 597 15 Maryland 310 302 612 16 Belmont Abbey College 310 306 616 17 Akron 304 315 619 18 Davidson 320 300 620
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Pl Player (School) 1st 2nd 3rd Tot 1 Bill Haas (WF) 66 72 138 2 Geoffrey Harris (ODU) 69 70 139 Steve Marino (UVA) 69 70 139 4 Mark McBride (MU) 68 72 140 15 Brandon Knaub (MU) 73 70 143 16 Cory Ewert (MU) 69 75 144 32 Chris Happ (MU) 75 71 146 72 Mike Radek (MU) 82 74 156