Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Warren GC
NCAA Golf - Racers Say Goodbye To Seniors
5/22/2010 4:55:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Murray State Racers fittingly ended the 2009-10 season at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in the Notre Dame Regional Saturday which brought to an end the careers of three MSU seniors.
Chris Griffin (Paducah, Ky.), Nick Newcomb (Benton, Ky.) and Jared Wolfe (Louisville, Ky.) were the senior trio that led the Racers to their first Ohio Valley Conference title and trip to the NCAA Championship in 19 years and Saturday they played their final rounds at MSU.
"Chris, Nick and Jared have meant so much to our program, it's sad to seem them end their career at Murray State," MSU Head Coach Eddie Hunt said. "They've been a joy to coach and they helped take our program to another level."
After winning the OVC title April 28 in Dickson, Tenn., the Racers had high hopes of coming to the NCAA Championship and earning a spot in the top-5 which brings with it a spot in the NCAA Championship Finals June 1-6 in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the Honors Course.
The Warren GC at the University Of Notre Dame was a tough test for the Racers, but they did save their best for last when they shot their best round of the 54-hole event with a final round 287. MSU's scores of 297-295-287=879 made them 13th place in the field of 14 teams, after they came in seeded No. 12.
"We're all disappointed that our play wasn't better this week, but we played this final round the way I know we can play." Hunt said. "It was a very difficult golf course, but I know we can play better than we did. When you get to the NCAA level in any sport, the effort and precision it takes to succeed is turned up."
Junior Cameron Carrico had the best round of the day for MSU with a 2-under par 68, while Jared Wolfe posted an even par 70. Nick Newcomb carded a 4-over 74, while Chris Griffin had a 75 and Patrick Newcomb a 79.
Wolfe was MSU's best finisher with a spot in 39th place in the field of 75 players after rounds of 73-73-70=216. Carrico had a 53rd place showing with scores of 76-76-68=220, while Nick Newcomb had scores of 78-72-74=224 for a spot in 59th place. Griffin came home with a 63rd place showing with scores of 76-74-75=225, while Patrick Newcomb, a freshman, was in 65th place with scores of 72-76-79=227.
"This was a great learning experience for our entire team," Hunt added. "The guys who are coming back next season can learn from it and the seniors can take it with them as they continue their golfing careers."
Carrico, a junior, will return to the Racers next season as will freshman Patrick Newcomb. The other spots on MSU's starting five will be determined from the rest of the roster in fall qualifying in August.
The Racers were making their third appearance in the NCAA Championship and first since 1991. The other MSU appearance came in 1987 as both were under MSU legend Buddy Hewitt.
The No. 1 seed coming into this regional was Stanford and they made it stand in winning the event with an 830 total, ahead of second place Florida State (834). The rest of the top-5 teams advancing to the NCAA Championship Finals are Florida (838), Duke (839) and LSU (847).
Duke, paired with the Racers in the last two rounds, became the talk of the tournament when they posted a 10-under par 270 on the final day to go from 10th place to fourth and into the NCAA Championship Finals.
Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa all tied at 848 and were one shot from forcing a playoff for the last spot.
The individual qualifier for the NCAA Championship is Virginia Tech's Marshall Bailey, who shot a two-under 208 and tied Michigan's Matt Thompson as the low individual on a non-advancing team. Bailey then defeated Thompson on the first hole of a sudden death playoff to earn the individual berth.
