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Rice University Athletics
Owls Begin Fall Campaign Monday
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 10, 2010
Rice University's golf team will chase the kind of early momentum it had last year when the Owls open the fall season Monday at the 8th Annual Sam H. Hall Intercollegiate in Hattiesburg, Miss. Last year Rice began the season with the first of two tournament championships during the year en route to the program's first NCAA Regional appearance in 13 years.
Starting with the Sam H. Hall Intercollegiate, the Owls tackle a challenging fall schedule in which the squad with play its entire five-tournament fall schedule over the next six weeks.
Last year Rice opened the season by winning the UTA/Waterchase Intercollegiate. The Owls will defend their 2009 UTA/Waterchase Invitational title the second week of the season (Sept. 20-21).
The similarities from last year's opener to this year's first tournament start are striking.
"We are going to a tournament that we have never been to before," said Drew Scott who begins his sixth season as the golf coach at his alma mater. "We don't have expectations about how we are going to play a golf course. We are going to be really focused on trying to learn how to play the golf course on Sunday. We don't know what to shoot. We are just going to go out and play as hard as we can as opposed to having predetermined expectations about score."
The Sam H. Hall Intercollegiate will be competed at the Hattiesburg Country Club (Par 72, 6,850 yards). The tournament is slated for 36 holes on Monday with the final 18 holes being played Tuesday.
The 15-team tournament field includes Conference USA rivals Memphis and host Southern Miss and a bevy of teams primarily from the Gulf South. One exception is Wichita State. The Owls played with the Shockers last year at the NCAA Regional played at Texas A&M. The Shockers, however, lose two-time All-America Dustin Garza from last year's squad.
"I think it is a good balance of teams," Scott said of the tournament field. "There are some teams that pop out that we know we are going to work hard to compete with and work hard to beat. Southern Miss tied for second with us at the Conference USA Championship last April and Memphis is always a good team."
"South Alabama is solid. They won the Sun Belt Conference last year to advance to Regionals," Scott added. "Louisiana-Lafayette has been strong in the past. Southeastern Louisiana is a Top 50 team which received votes in the preseason coaches' poll. I think Louisiana Tech is going to be a much better team this year. They actually beat us the last three times they saw us at tournaments last spring."
The Owls begin the season with a five-member squad which has defined senior leadership, a pair of talented freshmen and a junior who played well during the summer circuit then had continued success during the team's first round of qualifying.
Robert Burrow, who has been slowed by injuries, begins his senior season as does Michael Whitehead, who played in this year's U.S. Amateur Championship. Despite only competing in five tournaments through the first two seasons of the spring, Rice junior Erik Mayer has been the biggest surprise so far this year. Rounding out the Rice roster at Southern Miss will be freshmen Jeff Wibawa and Chris Contreras.
"I feel we have the type of team that can go over there and compete for a win," Scott said. "Like last year going to UTA, there are obviously some uncertainties but there are also a lot of positive vibes from the way our team played in tournaments this summer.
"Coming together as a team is the question mark. How are they going to perform together? Who is going to step up? Hopefully, they are all going to step up."
Burrow will play at No. 1 to being his senior season. He was the second alternate at a U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament played in Massachusetts and made the U.S. Am field in 2009.
"Robert played really well in qualifying this week," Scott said. "He had an on-and-off again summer. He had some discomfort in his elbow but he is back to full strength. We're excited to have him back in the lineup and playing well."
After a summer which included competing in the U.S. Open Sectionals and advancing to his first U.S. Amateur, Whitehead begins his senior year playing in the second slot for the Owls.
"Michael had an incredible summer," Scott said. "In addition to playing in the U.S. Am and U.S. Open Sectionals, he finished in the Top 10 at the Texas State Amateur and finished in the Top 25 at the Texas State Open. He also playe Played is the US Am. Played in the US Open Sectionals. Finished Top 10 at Texas State Amateur. He had a lot of other solid finishes during the summer and played well in qualifying."
Wibawa is arguably the Owls' most highly-touted freshman and will play at No. 3.
"He had a great summer and just kept up his solid play in qualifying last week," Scott said. "He finished even par over four rounds of qualifying including two rounds under par. We are excited to see what he can do finally in a college event."
After competing in two tournaments as an individual last year, Mayer will be part of the Owls' team score at Southern Miss.
"Erik has really rededicated his golf game and his practice habits," Scott said. "We're excited to have him in the lineup. He has had a lot of good scores over the past couple weeks."
Rounding out the Rice team will be freshman Chris Contreras.
"Chris has not played well in qualifying yet this semester but I think the freshman jitters and nerves probably got to him," Scott said. "I know he will be ready to play next Monday and Tuesday. He is very excited to play. The biggest thing for us is to make sure he is focused at the task at hand and not just being a member of the team."
Players Mentioned
