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The Georgia Tech men's golf team showed why it holds the number one ranking in the nation at the Nelson Stanford Invitational finishing second among a 17 team field.
The three-day tournament started on November 7 and was hosted at the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California (6,786 yards, par 71) under windy but warm conditions. The Yellow Jackets started out hot, finishing the first round in second place. They shot a team score of 290 led by freshmen Wes Latimer (32-37=69) who finished tied for third after the first round, Bryce Molder (37-37=74) tied for 27th, and sophomore Matt Kuchar (36-35=71) tied for eighth.
The Yellow Jackets continued their strong play on Saturday putting themselves in position to make a big run on Sunday in the final round. The players came out on Sunday morning knocking it stiff and posted the low round of the day, a team score of 285 (one-over par) finishing at 861 (nine-over).
However, it was not enough as Colorado State took home the trophy shooting a final round of 286(two-over par) and a three day total of 860 (eight-over). An up and down or lipped out putt separated the Yellow Jackets from the title, but the strong showing secured their position as the number one team in the nation.
"Three of the top 12 finishers came from our team," stated third-year coach Bruce Hepler.
Indeed, reigning U.S. Amateur Champion Kuchar finished second in the individual contest at 211 (71-70-70). Latimer had a very strong showing finishing tied for fourth at 212 (69-72-71). Molder, the number two ranked player in the nation, finished tied for 12th at 217(74-72-71). Carlton Forrester and Brian Newton also made strong contributions.
"Having two freshmen and one sophmore do so well is a nice suprise and bodes well for our future," stated Coach Hepler. Other notable teams were second-ranked Arkansas which finished fourth at 873, 12 shots behind Tech and Stanford, whose players play the course every day, finishing at 874 placing fifth.
The tournament capped off a brilliant fall 1997-1998 season for the Yellow Jackets which positioned them as the number one team in the nation after five collegiate tournaments. The team will "put the sticks down, do some physical conditioning, and get into our books," according to Coach Hepler as fall play is now over and picks up again in the spring with the PING invitational. Look for the Jackets to continue their stellar play in preparation for the ACC championships.| Questions or comments about this page? Feedback | Copyright © 1997 by Gregory S. Scherrer, Editor and by the Student Publications Board |