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Buff Golfers Finish Eighth At Pepperdine
October 23, 2007 | Men's Golf
SOMIS,
No. 26-ranked and host Pepperdine led from start to finish in claiming the title, posting a 10-stroke win over Loyola Marymount. The Waves finished with a team score of 905, some 41 strokes over par as the subplot had the 12-team field battling 50-to-60 mile wind gusts both days, which brought smoke and ash from several of the wildfires current raging in southern
Sophomore Luke Symons posted a 73 to lead the Buffs, as that tied for the second best score for the final round; Pepperdine's Carl Smith recorded a 1-under 71, one of just three subpar rounds in the entire tournament. Symons, the fifth-highest ranked individual in the field (No. 45 nationally), closed with a 239 total (23-over par), zooming from 53rd after two rounds to finish 32nd, the second largest jump in the standings behind Smith, who moved up 27 spots in finishing 13th. He led CU with three birdies Tuesday.
Senior Jim Grady bounced back from rounds of 83 and 89 Monday to record a 4-over 76, finishing with a 248 total (32-over) on the 6,405-yard, par-72 Saticoy Country Club course. That tied for the 15th best score in the final round, and was topped by only four players who finished below 16th. The 13-stroke improvement over his second round score tied for the 11th best from one round to another in CU history. He placed 57th overall in the 62-man field.
“I was really proud of the guys,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “They played much more like we're capable of. There was a good effort overall, especially by Luke, and Jim had a nice rally as well. Overall, it was a great learning experience for us in just how to handle everything from a difficult course to difficult conditions.
“They did a nice job of refocusing after things didn't go our way Monday,” he added. “You have to learn to come back from that kind of adversity, when it's easy just to give up and say, ?wait until next time,' and we did a good job of that today.”
Senior Michael Baird tied for 23rd overall, as he put a 77 in the books Tuesday for a 236 total. Junior Derek Tolan had an 80 to finish with a 238 scorecard, tying for 27th.
Freshman Michael Imperato tied for 37th, as he had an 81 (nine pars, nine bogeys) to close with a 240.
“It was surreal here,” Edwards said of the conditions due to the fires and the wind. During the practice round on Sunday, the sky was totally bright orange and there was no sun, and we pulled the golfers off the course. There was a fire about a mile and a half from us, and I have to say it was the oddest thing I've ever seen.”
Georgia Tech's Joel Sjoholm hung on to claim medalist honors, as he survived a final round 80, winning with a 9-over par total of 225. That edged Pepperdine's Andrew Putnam by a single stroke; Loyola-Marymount placed three golfers among the top six in the field.
The Buffaloes will conclude the fall portion of their schedule November 5-6 in
T27. Derek Tolan.............................. 80-78-80?238
T32. Luke Symons............................ 84-82-73?239
T37. Michael Imperato...................... 82-77-81?240
57. Jim Grady................................. 83-89-76?248
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1.
2. Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine..... 71-82-73?226
3. Brian Locke, LMU....................... 78-74-75?227
3.
5. Jason D'Amore, LMU.................. 71-77-81?229
5. Bryan Martin, LMU...................... 78-78-73?229
TEAM SCORES
1. Pepperdine............................ 300-306-299?905
2. Loyola-Marymount................ 304-310-301?915
3.
4.
5. Lamar.................................... 313-309-316?938
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7.
8.
9.
9.
11. UC-Santa Barbara.................. 319-321-316?956
12.
