Rice University Athletics
Rice University
Duck Invitational
Whitehead Ties for Second at Duck Invitational
3/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 22, 2011
Final Team and Player Leaderboard at the Duck Invitational
EUGENE, Ore. - Rice University senior golfer Michael Whitehead sank seven birdie putts en route to a final-round 66, propelling him into a tie for second at the University of Oregon's Duck Invitational on Tuesday.
Whitehead began the final 18-hole circuit tied for 11th, seven strokes back of first-day leader Alex Moore of Oregon State.
With the tournament utilizing a shotgun start, Whitehead birdied his first hole, the 525-yard, par 5 No. 13. He also birdied No. 15. Following his lone bogey of the day, which came on No. 18, Whitehead scored birdies on four of the first five holes on the Eugene Country Club's front nine.
"Sometimes you just can't get it going and that is the way it was yesterday," Whitehead said. "I really didn't change anything but today I was able to make some putts."
"I think everything just came together for Michael today," said Rice coach Drew Scott. "He has played steady all semester. He has hit the ball well. At times he hasn't made some key putts and at other times he has. Today he got everything out of his round. I don't know if he could have shot any lower. It was really fun to watch."
Whitehead finished the tournament with a three-round score of 209 (-7), two strokes back of individual champion Chris Williams from the University of Washington. Williams, who began the tournament ranked No. 18 in the country, birdied his final two holes on Tuesday en route to a 69 and the two-stroke victory.
Whitehead shared runner-up honors with Moore who is currently ranked No. 89 in the nation.
The Duck Invitational marks the third runner-up finish of the year for Whitehead whose performance was better than eight players ranked among the nation's Top 100 who played in the tournament, including two ranked inside the Top 10.
Rice freshman Jeff Wibawa shot a 73 Tuesday to finish with a three-round score 221 and tie for 34th individually. Erik Mayer's 75 on Tuesday was his best round of the tournament and lifted him to a tie for 72nd in the individual standings.
Rice shot a 292 as a team on Tuesday. The Owls rebounded from an opening-round 312 to finish with a 901 (+37) team score and finished 13th in the final standings.
"Michael and Jeff played well and today we got some support from our other three guys," Scott said. "We are still not near where we need to be. It's tough to shoot a 292 (team score) with a 66."
No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State was 10-under par as a team on Tuesday to finish with a three-round score of 848 (-16) en route to capturing the team title. No. 28 Oregon finished eight strokes back of the Cowboys. No. 22 Washington shot an 870 (+6) to finish third.
Rice will have a quick turnaround from its West Coast swing. The Owls return on a red-eye flight in time for Wednesday classes but later in the day will embark on a road trip to Laredo and the 2011 Border Olympics which begins Friday.
"We have four straight weeks of having an event," Scott said. "The guys are going to be tired but it's competition and the guys want to compete. We have three guys who have played in the past at the tournament. They really treat us well over there and I know our guys are looking forward to it.
I don't look at it as a negative," Scott said of the hectic schedule. "No one is raising their hand to stay home."
The 54-hole tournament held at the Laredo Country Club (Par 72 / 7,125 Yards) Friday and Saturday will include eight Texas schools as well as four teams ranked among the nation's Top 40.
