Oct. 17, 2010
The 27th-ranked University of New Mexico men’s golf team is traveling to Fairfax, Calif. to take part in the eighth playing of the Alister MacKenzie Invitational Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 18 and 19 at the Meadow Club.
The MacKenzie, hosted by Cal-Berkley, is a 54-hole tournament in which the teams play 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 the following day. The field tees off with a shotgun start at 9:15 a.m., with the second round coming immediately after the conclusion of the first. Tuesday’s final round, also a shotgun start, begins at 9 a.m.
NEW MEXICO IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: The Lobos enter the Alister MacKenzie ranked No. 27 by Golfstat and 30th by Golfweek. New Mexico has jumped 16 spots in the Golfweek national collegiate golf team rankings since they were first released this fall, starting the season ranked 46th.
NEW MEXICO AT THE ALISTER MACKENZIE: This is the second time the Lobos take part in the Invitational. New Mexico finished tied for ninth place the only other time it competed at the MacKenzie, last year’s weather-shortened, two-round event. The Lobos carded an even-par 568 over the first two rounds, then saw the final round cancelled due to winds reaching 55 mile per hour and rain soaking the Meadow Club course, rendering it unplayable.
Live scoring is available on Golfstat.com, with daily recaps and results available on GoLobos.com.
ALISTER MACKENZIE COMPETITORS: The Lobos are joined in the 15-team field for the Alister MacKenzie Invitational by host Cal, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawai’i, Minnesota, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, San Diego State, San Francisco, San Jose State, UC Davis, UC Irvine and Wisconsin. San Diego State (No. 15 Golfstat, No. 19 Golfweek) is the field’s highest-ranked team. A total of eight teams (over half of the field’s teams) are in the nation’s top 50, with the Aztecs joined by Cal (No. 21 Golfweek, No. 22 Golfstat), New Mexico (No. 27 Golfstat, No. 30 Golfweek), San Francisco (No. 40 Golfstat, No. 45 Golfweek), Oregon (No. 42 Golfweek), Oregon State (No. 43 Golfstat, No. 43 Golfweek) and Minnesota (No. 47 Golfstat).
LOBO LINEUP: Head coach Glen Millican will send the following: seniors Travis Ross, Sam Chavez and Tom Carlson, and sophomores John Catlin and Ryan Gay. Lineups for the 16-team field include five players, with the top four scores for each team counting towards its total score.
The following is the Lobos’ lineup, in order, with the 2010-11 season stroke average and current national ranking according to Golfweek:
1. Travis Ross (71.56, No. 98)
2. Sam Chavez (73.00, No. 271)
3. Tom Carlson (72.44, No. 112)
4. John Catlin (72.78, No. 230)
5. Ryan Gay (75.11, No. 710)
MACKENZIE TEAM CHAMPIONS:
2009 – California
2008 – no tournament played
2007 – San Diego State
2006 – California
2005 – California
2004 – Oregon State
2003 – California
2002 – Fresno State
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS:
2009 – Stephen Hale, California
2008 – no tournament played
2007 – Daryl Fathauer, Louisville
2006 – Michael Wilson, California
2005 – Jon Rosa, Fresno State
2004 – Dillon Dougherty, Northwestern
2003 – Steve Conway, UCLA
2002 – Nick Watney, Fresno State
MEADOW CLUB FACTS: A Dr. Alister MacKenzie design established in 1927, The Meadow Club is located in the North Bay’s Marin County. The course sits high above the town of Fairfax, near the Pacific Ocean. Meadow Club has hosted the 2008 Pac-10 Men’s Golf Championship, the 2001 US Open qualifying, the 1997 NorCal PGA Section Championship and the 1990 NCGA Junior Championship.