17th-Ranked Bears Set to Host 2008 Baylor Intercollegiate
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 25, 2008
DALLAS - Three teams ranked in the latest Golf World/NIKE Top 25 Poll, including tournament host No. 17 Baylor, will meet at Royal Oaks Country Club for the 2008 Baylor Intercollegiate. The 54-hole format will begin with rounds one and two on Monday, Oct. 27, followed by the final 18 holes on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The par-71, 7,068-yard course at Royal Oaks will serve as the site for the inaugural event.
The 12-team field includes: Arkansas, Baylor, BYU, College of Charleston, Houston, Kansas, Lamar, New Mexico, Oklahoma, SMU, Saint Mary's and Texas A&M.
The Bears cracked the latest edition of the Golf World/NIKE Top 25 Poll, debuting at No. 17 on Oct. 15. Tournament participants Arkansas and Texas A&M are ranked No. 14 and No. 22, respectively. Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are the only teams in the field to win at least one tournament so far this season; Arkansas and Baylor have each won two.
"We are extremely excited to be hosting the Baylor Intercollegiate at Royal Oaks this season," Baylor head coach Greg Priest said. "We have a strong field and we will need to continue playing well and improve each week."
Baylor won back-to-back tournaments to open the season in September. The Bears shot 16-over 880 to claim the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala. The following week, the Bears scorched the Hartford Hawks Invitational field, shooting 10-under 566 for their second win. Baylor's win streak ended Oct. 14 when the Bears finished fourth at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham. The Bears finished behind No. 8 Alabama, No. 20 Auburn and SMU, while finishing ahead of No. 21 UNLV.
The Bears have shot under-par as a team in their last two tournaments. Redshirt freshman Lorenzo Scotto (Pordenone, Italy) leads the team with a 71.20 stroke average through five rounds. Colton Williams (Jacksboro, Texas) is second with 71.63, followed by Cody Paladino (Kensington, Conn.) at 71.88.
Williams is the only Bear to have 100 percent of his rounds count towards the team's score this season, while Paladino leads the team with four sub-par rounds - including a pair of 66 scores. Last week, Williams ranked 33rd overall in Golfweek's individual rankings, while the Bears ranked 5th.
For the third consecutive tournament, Baylor will go with the starting five of Williams, Paladino, Scotto, Bill Allcorn (Abilene, Texas) and Joakim Mikkelsen (Drammen, Norway). Sophomores Austin Berkovsky (Aledo, Texas), Michael McKinley (Dallas, Texas) and redshirt freshman Neal Robinson (Dallas, Texas) will compete individually. McKinley and Robinson will both make their season debut at Royal Oaks Monday, while Berkovsky returns to the course after a two-tournament hiatus.
Live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com. Recaps and results will be posted immediately after the conclusion of each day at BaylorBears.com.
BAYLOR INTERCOLLEGIATE QUICK FACTS
Hosts: Baylor University/Royal Oaks Country Club
Dates: Monday, Oct. 27-Tuesday, Oct. 28
Format: 36 holes (shotgun start) Monday at 8:30 a.m.; 18 holes (tee times) Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Course: Royal Oaks Country Club (Dallas, Texas)
Par/Yardage: 71/7,068
Live Scoring: Live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com
Results: Results will be posted on BaylorBears.com at the conclusion of each day
Participating Schools: Arkansas, Baylor, BYU, College of Charleston, Houston, Kansas, Lamar, New Mexico, Oklahoma, SMU, Saint Mary's, Texas A&M
BAYLOR INTERCOLLEGIATE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, Oct. 25 - BYU practice round (1:30 p.m.)
Sunday, Oct. 26 - Practice round (tee times assigned)
Monday, Oct. 27 - First Round (shotgun at 8:30 p.m.); Second Round (continues play)
Tuesday, Oct. 28 - Final Round (8 a.m.); Final round tee times (1 & 10 tees)
Players Mentioned
