April 29, 2002
Hutchinson, Kan. - Looking for a strong showing to lock up an anticipated team berth in the upcoming NCAA Regional Championships, the University of Missouri men's golf team got off to a good start today at the 2002 Big 12 Championships, as the Tigers stand in 5th place after day one of competition. The tournament, held at Prairie Dunes Golf & Country Club, featured 36 holes of play on Monday, with the final 18 holes to be played Tuesday morning.
Head Coach Tim Robyn's Tigers shot a team score of 293 in Monday's opening round, and stood in 4th place at the time. Mizzou improved by one shot, with a 292 in the afternoon round, but slipped one spot in the standings to 5th place as Baylor jumped from 6th to 4th after improving by 11 strokes in the afternoon round. The best MU has ever finished in the five previous Big 12 Championship events came in 1998, when Rich Poe's squad placed 8th.
Individually, sophomore Brandon Knaub enjoyed a consistent day on the course that will play host to the 2002 Women's U.S. Open later this summer. Knaub (Seven Valleys, Pa.) fired an even-par 70 in the morning, and came back with a one-over 71 for a two-round total of 141, which put him alone in 6th place individually. He is eight shots off the lead established by John Kidwell of Oklahoma, who shot rounds of 64 and 69 and is at seven under par heading into the final round.
Senior Mark McBride (Lebanon, Mo.) shot a morning round of 69, and stood tied for 2nd, but slipped slightly with a 5-over 75 in the afternoon. He still remains in the hunt for a top-10 finish, however, as his 144 total has him tied for 14th place entering Tuesday's final action.
Freshman Ben Scott (Lancashire, England) shot an afternoon round of 72 after shaking off an opening-round 77, and stands tied for 27th with a two-round score of 149. Junior Chris Happ (Winnetka, Ill.) shot rounds of 77 and 74 and is tied for 38th with a 151 total. Junior Cory Ewert (Joplin, Mo.) had a rough day on Monday, and stands tied for 54th individually, after rounds of 78 and 80 left him at 158.
TEAM STANDINGS Pl School 1st 2nd 3rd Tot 1 Oklahoma 283 274 557 2 Texas 285 282 567 3 Oklahoma State 287 287 574 4 Baylor 297 286 583 5 MISSOURI 293 292 585 6 Colorado 296 294 590 7 Texas Tech 297 294 591 8 Iowa State 295 297 592 9 Kansas State 303 292 595 10 Texas A&M 300 300 600 11 Kansas 301 300 601 12 Nebraska 312 295 607INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Pl Player (School) 1st 2nd 3rd Tot 1 John Kidwell (OU) 64 69 133 2 Cody Freeman (OU) 69 66 135 3 Jason Hartwick (UT) 72 65 137 4 Anders Hultman (OSU) 70 68 138 5 Martin Flores (OU) 72 68 140 6 Brandon Knaub (MU) 70 71 141 14 Mark McBride (MU) 69 75 144 27 Ben Scott (MU) 77 72 149 38 Chris Happ (MU) 77 74 151 54 Cory Ewert (MU) 78 80 158