June 10, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico senior golfer Steve Saunders has been named to the PING All-America Third Team by the Golf Coaches’ Association of America. Saunders, also the 2009 Mountain West Conference Golfer of the Year, joins Coastal Carolina’s Zack Byrd, Harris English of Georgia, Wichita State’s Dustin Garza, Andrew Landry of Arkansas, Washington’s Richard Lee and Darren Wallace, Oklahoma State’s Trent Leon and Virginia Tech’s Drew Weaver on the third team. The GCAA selects a first, second and third All-America team, as well as a list of All-America honorable mentions.
“It’s definitely a great honor,” said Saunders. “It exceeded my expectations for the year. I was half hoping to receive honorable mention. It means a lot more to make one of those teams.”
Saunders won the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament as well as the ASU Thunderbird Invitational during his senior season, finishing in the top 10 in nine of the 13 events the Lobos entered this past year. Saunders capped off his senior season finishing tied for seventh at the NCAA West Regional in Lake Merced, Calif. He’s scheduled to graduate this fall with in a degree in marketing and a minor in communications.
“I couldn’t ask for a better way, as far as individual accolades go, for my career as a Lobo to end,” Saunders said. “Obviously, it would have been a lot nicer to go to the national championship and win that, but from an individual standpoint, it’s a real honor.”
As for his future in golf, Saunders has turned professional. He played his first professional event, the Socorro Open, June 3-5, finishing 14th out of 60 entrants. Saunders is playing in his second professional event, the San Jon Open, at the end of the month.
“It’s a great honor for Steve to be selected to one of the three teams,” said head coach Glen Millican. “It’s a reflection of the great year Steve had. It’s a well-deserved recognition for Steve. He’s worked hard for four years here and had a great year this past season. No doubt about it.”
Saunders finished his senior season with a 71.89 stroke average and a career average of 73.49, setting records for the lowest 18-hole (64), 36-hole (133), 54-hole (204) and margin of victory (four strokes) at the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament along the way.