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Rice University Athletics
Owls Compete at Conference USA Championshp
4/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 23, 2006
West Point, Miss. - The Rice Owls golf team competes in its first-ever Conference USA championship this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Old Waverly Golf Club (par 72; 7,000 yards). The winner receives the C-USA automatic bid to the NCAA Regional.
Three teams - Tulsa (24), SMU (35) and Houston (42) - are all ranked among the Top 50 nationally by Golfweek entering the championship. Tulsa and SMU, along with Marshall, Rice, UCF and UTEP, are all making their C-USA championship debuts.
Texas Christian won last year's C-USA team title at 841 (278-282-281), while the Horn Frogs' T1 Colby Beckstrom (67-71-71) and Drew Stoltz (70-69-70) tied for first at 209 at Grand Bear Golf Club in Gulfport, Miss.
Drew Scott, in his first year as the Owls' head coach, believes the squad is more than ready and prepared for the Conference USA championship after playing a difficult course in nasty weather last week at Stanford. "Conditions will be more favorable to what we're used to with Bermuda greens and fairways," says Scott. "Last week at Stanford, the course was playing much harder than normal with exceptionally high rough due to the rain and any course that we play on will seem easier."
Competing for Rice are senior Parker LaBarge, junior Daniel Lee, sophomores, Addison Awe and Jeff Krakowiak, and freshman Kyle Kelley. LaBarge has been the squad's best consistent performer and leads the Owls with a 73.96 stroke average, while Lee follows at 74.50. Last year, Rice placed sixth at the Western Athletic Conference championship.
"The team wants to finish strong and there's no reason why we can't put together three good rounds and contend for the title," says Scott.
Players Mentioned
