Sept. 28, 2010
2010 University of Colorado Mark Simpson Invitational
Final Scorecards
Travis Ross | Sam Chavez | Tom Carlson
Ryan Gay | John Catlin | Sam Saunders
ERIE, Colo. — Was Travis Ross’ birdie on No. 18 the winning stroke for the Lobos in the Mark Simpson Invitational? Or how about Sam Chavez’s birdie on 17, or Ryan Gay’s birdie on 17? Maybe.
When you win a golf tournament by one stroke, you don’t really quibble about where that single digit comes from. You just grab the big trophy and run.
“We knew it would be tight,” head coach Glen Millican said of Tuesday’s final round that gave him his 16th tournament win at the helm at New Mexico.
Sam Chavez carded a tournament-low, 6-under 66 during Monday’s second round en route to a fifth-place finish |
“(Assistant) coach (Brian Kortan) and I both knew. We let the guys know. They were aware it was going to be close all day. They just did a great job finishing.”
Milican’s Lobos entered the day with a four-stroke lead, only to see defending Mountain West Conference champions Colorado State get off to a hot start and tie New Mexico five holes in.
Yet finish Millican’s Lobos did, fending off the Rams, as well as the rest of the 13-team field, to win the inaugural Mark Simpson by a single stroke with a 5-under-par 300-276-283=859.
New Mexico entered the day with that four-stroke lead over Colorado State after rattling off a scorching 12-under 276 in the second round – the lowest round posted by any team during any of the three rounds.
In catching up to New Mexico early Tuesday, the Rams were en route to an 8-under 280 – the second best round of the tournament. Unfortunately for CSU, the Lobos shot the third-lowest round of the tournament on the same day, carding a 5-under-par 283.
“I couldn’t have asked for better golf from our guys than the way they played here in Colorado,” Millican said. “It feels good. It’s tough to win a college golf tournament. It’s special any time you can do it.”
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“I couldn’t have asked for better golf from our guys than the way they played here in Colorado. It feels good. It’s tough to win a college golf tournament. It’s special any time you can do it.” Lobo Head Coach Glen Millican |
Leading the way for the Lobos was Ross, who notched a second-place finish in the individual race with a 5-under 74-69-68=211. Ross finished two strokes behind tournament medalist Mark Hubbard from San Jose State (69-70-70=209, -7).
“I just had a good feeling going into this tournament,” Ross said. “We were all calm and confident. Sam’s round yesterday was a big boost to everybody.”
Ross is referring to Sam Chavez’s tournament-low 6-under 66 during Monday’s second round. Chavez capped off the event with a 1-under 71 Tuesday to finish tied for fifth at 3-under. It marks the first top-10 finish for Chavez as a Lobo, and the best finish of his collegiate career.
Tom Carlson finished in a three-way tie for 20th with a 3-over 74-71-74=219. Also knotted for 20th was teammate Ryan Gay, who closed the Simpson with a 2-under 70, finishing with a 76-73-70=219.
John Catlin rounded out a New Mexico effort that saw each of the five-man varsity squad finish in the top-30. Catlin closed his tournament with a 2-over 74 to finish at 5-over for the event (77-70-74=221).
“It feels great to finish strong,” Ross said. “Sam had some clutch up and downs, I made some long putts, Gay had a clutch birdie… Colorado State played great today, but we were still able to pull it out. It’s pretty sweet.”
New Mexico and Colorado State were the only two teams to finish under par. Kansas finished third at 5-over, followed by San Jose State (+6), New Mexico State (+8) and Brigham Young (+9).
Next up for the Lobos is their own tournament, the William H. Tucker, Oct. 1-2 at UNM Championship Golf Course.
“We’re always excited for the Tucker,” Millican said. “It feels pretty good knowing that we played so well in the tournament right before it.”