Awe shoots career-low 70 at Indian Classic
The golf team finished fourth at the Arkansas State University Indian Classic in Jonesboro, Ark., Tuesday, gaining much-needed momentum for the upcoming Western Athletic Conference Championships May 2-4 in Ruston, La. The Owls had four strong individual performances and finished only two strokes out of second place in a tournament that was shortened to just one round because of inclement weather.
‘I think the single round was very indicative of how we would have played in all three rounds. I was disappointed with the cancellation since I thought the team was really ready to play,’ head coach Dick Ellis said.
During the first week of April, the Owls competed in the Morris Williams Intercollegiate in Austin, Tex. The team had one of the poorest tournament finishes in Rice golf history, placing 15th out of 15 teams with a combined score of 953 (+89). No Rice golfer finished in the top 60. But after the abysmal tournament in Austin, the Owls bounced back in their regular-season finale with intensity.
‘We had a really good fall season, but it has taken quite a while to get back into that form this spring,’ Ellis said. ‘In Jonesboro, the team showed such great promise by playing like they did in the fall. [After our 4th place finish], we are very confident that we can fulfill our team’s goal to win the WAC championship.’
Led by freshman Addison Awe’s career-low round of two-under 70, the team finished with a three-over 291. Seniors Matt Toohey and Frank Buttacavoli fired a 73 and a 74, respectively, finishing tied for 24th and 32nd. Freshman Jeff Krakowiak also performed well, shooting a 74 to tie Buttacavoli. Awe has played in just three tournaments this spring, but he was second on the team at the Border Olympics March 25-26 in Laredo, Tex. and led the team Tuesday. After finishing 84th in Austin, Awe said he saw Tuesday’s tournament as essential to his preparation for the upcoming conference championship.
‘After a bad showing in Austin, I really needed a good tournament in Arkansas to regain the momentum that I had in Laredo,’ Awe said. ‘I am definitely looking forward to playing just as well in the WAC tournament next month. I need to be patient and keep my focus over the next couple of weeks.’
Toohey regained his fall form, finishing in the top 25 for the first time this spring. ‘I think [finishing in the top-25] was more or less about me mentally getting into the ‘comfort zone’ that my golf psychologist has been talking to me about,’ Toohey said.
With their breakthrough performances in Arkansas, both Awe and Toohey seem to be peaking at the right time as the Owls prepare for the WAC tournament. The tournament will be played on familiar ground, the Squire Creek Country Club, where the Owls played their fall-season finale. Rice performed well at that event, the Louisiana Tech Invitational Oct. 18-19. Both Krakowiak and Buttacavoli shined with 13th and 18th place finishes respectively.
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