Golf drops to 18th at Redstone
The golf team entered the Hall of Fame Invitational with high hopes, but those hopes were dashed as the team finished 18th in a stacked field of 19 teams, including four of the nation’s top 10. Top-ranked Oklahoma State won the tournament, held at the challenging Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Tex., edging UNLV by two strokes.
‘I think everyone on the team was disappointed with our performance at Redstone,’ head coach Dick Ellis said. ‘There was a tough field of teams, and the course was very difficult. We had been on the course before; however, we didn’t perform the way we thought we could.’
The Owls finished at 57 over par, shooting 312-304-305 on the par-72 course, which was 75 strokes behind Oklahoma State. Senior Frank Buttacavoli led the Owls, carding a seven-over 223 and finishing tied for 41st, while senior Matt Toohey shot a 14-over 230, earning him a tie for 75th. After his third top-20 finish of the season at the Louisiana Classics March 7-8, freshman Jeff Krakowiak shot an 18-over 234 and tied for 84th. Ellis said the tournament’s size and stature affected the Owls.
‘Golf is an emotional game,’ Ellis said. ‘Because the tournament was on a national spotlight, there were many emotions running through each of our players. We just couldn’t pull through last weekend.’
Toohey said he thinks the team faltered mentally at the competitive event.
‘Our poor performance was definitely a combination of having a series of mental errors and playing on a difficult — but definitely playable — golf course,’ Toohey said. These mental errors were evident in the team’s opening round, when the Owls opened the tournament with a 24-over 312. Ellis said the team has struggled in the opening round of many tournaments this spring.
‘We have tried several things,’ Ellis said. ‘We have tried to play 18 holes prior to the event, and we have also tried not playing at all before the practice round. We did not have this problem during the fall, so I think we have just not gotten back into that form yet.’ Toohey said the players also acknowledge this problem and are attempting to address it individually.
‘[Poor 1st-round performances] could be caused by anything from an unfamiliarity with the course to not getting a good enough meal before the match,’ Toohey said. The Owls’ next tournament, the Border Olympics in Laredo, Tex., begins today and continues through tomorrow. Rice finished 16th among 17 teams at the event last year, defeating only Texas State and trailing tournament champion SMU by 49 strokes.
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