Golf team graciously hosts, wins Rice Intercollegiate
After concluding the fall with a heartbreaking loss that saw it lose its lead after two rounds, the golf team was placed in a similar situation at the Rice Intercollegiate Monday. This time, though, the Owls refused to let history repeat itself. The Owls, led by senior Christopher Brown's final round 69 - a score that gave him the individual title - dominated Tuesday's final round to win their second tournament title of the 2009-'10 season. Windy, cold conditions controlled Monday's 36-hole day, and senior Christopher Brown jumped out to an eight-stroke lead over the 15-team, 81-golfer field at the Westwood Golf Club. Brown eventually won the individual title, helped largely by his final round 69. Back-to-back rounds of 297 (+9) were enough to put the Owls on top of the leaderboard, as the 14 visiting schools had difficulty navigating Westwood.
While Head Coach Drew Scott (Wiess '98) felt that the course gave his team a bit of an edge, he refused to buy into the theory of a home-course advantage.
"I don't want to say we had a home-course advantage, because we've never won at our home event before," Scott said. "Our familiarity with the course was key, but those conditions Monday were unlike anything we normally see, and our guys really battled through it."
Junior Michael Whitehead's opening-round 72, good for par, was the low score of Monday's play, as no golfer shot under par. Brown, named this past week's Conference USA Golfer of the Week, joined senior Michael Buttacavoli in boasting a two-over-par 74 in the opening round of play.
However, Brown would come back to shoot a one-over 73, tied for the lowest score of the second round, to place himself in a tie with Whitehead and Will McCurdy of Auburn University. Brown finished second in last year's home event, and he was determined to take the next step this year.
"It means a lot to me to have my family and friends see me go out as a champion," Brown said. "Especially after what happened last year, I was real happy to win the whole thing this time around."
Conditions settled down for Tuesday's final round, as the wind disappeared and temperatures entered the 50s. Brown remained the hottest player in the field, and his brilliant final round gave the senior his first individual title of his career.
While Brown's individual title is something to be celebrated, the team as a whole nearly matched him in excellence.
Whitehead's three-round score of 220 (+4) landed him in sole possession of second place, three shots clear of McCurdy, who finished third. Whitehead had an excellent fall, and his performance to start the spring should give him momentum to continue his strong play.
Whitehead was joined in the top 13 by teammates Buttacavoli, freshman Jade Scott and junior Tim Pawul, who competed as an individual. Buttacavoli finished in a tie for sixth after firing a three-round score of 224 (+8). Scott and Pawul tied for 13th after both shot final-round 75s.
The finish was a stark turnaround from where the Owls ended up at the end of the fall season, which concluded with a bitter finish at Southeastern Louisiana University's tournament. Having taken the lead after two rounds of play, the Owls finished in second by one shot.
Scott felt that the experience gave his team an edge on Tuesday.
"I think the guys are getting comfortable playing in that final group," Scott said. "The guys didn't want to limp to a win - they wanted to go out and win themselves."
With their lone home event of the season now finished, Rice will turn its attention to the J.L. Lewis Intercollegiate, taking place at The Bandit in New Braunfels, Texas, on Feb. 22-23. The tournament, hosted by Texas State University, will provide the Owls with another opportunity to continue their hot play. The Owls entered the week ranked 42nd by Golfstat, and they are sure to move up when the next set of rankings come out.
Rice was able to win the first tournament of their fall 2009 season, and it gave them a boost that carried them to one of the best fall seasons in the program's history, despite the final tournament. With the spring season starting similarly, Brown knows what the next challenge will be.
"The goal now is to take the next step and compete for a conference title and get to Regionals," Brown said. "I want to go out with a team that made a name for itself.
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