Sept. 17, 2010
Live Tournament Scoring (via www.GolfStat.com)
BURLINGTON, Iowa - The Baylor men's golf team opens its 2010 fall season Sept. 19-21 at Golfweek's Conference Challenge at Spirit Hollow Golf Club.
The second-year, 54-hole event will be held over three days at the par-72, 7,360-yard Spirit Hollow Golf Club and co-hosted by the University of Iowa for the second consecutive year. Live scoring for each round will be available online at www.GolfStatResults.com. The Challenge features 15 schools, representing 15 different conferences: Baylor (Big 12), Campbell (Atlantic Sun), East Carolina (Conference USA), Eastern Michigan (MAC), Furman (Southern), Iowa (Big Ten), Liberty (Big South), Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt), Nevada (WAC), New Mexico (Mountain West), North Carolina State (ACC), Southeastern Louisiana (Southland), UC Irvine (Big West), Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial) and San Francisco (West Coast).
"After the success we had last season, we're ready to get a new year started," eighth-year head coach Greg Priest said. "We're always excited at the beginning, but it's a new year.
"We need to work hard and take care of business if we want to reach our goals of returning to the postseason and NCAA Championship," Priest said.
Twelve of the field's 15 teams finished the 2009-10 season ranked in the top 75 of the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, including Baylor. The Bears finished the season ranked 48th overall - the fourth-highest ranking of the 2010 Conference Challenge field.
"The Golfweek Challenge is a good tournament with a very competitive field so we have our work cut out for us," Priest said.
Baylor, which advanced to the program's fifth NCAA Championship in 2010, returns eight letterwinners from a year ago, including all five starters from its NCAA finals lineup. Priest's opening tournament lineup will feature senior Payne Gniewek, juniors Joakim Mikkelsen, Lorenzo Scotto and Drew McGee and sophomore Ryan O'Rear.
"It's good to have the leadership we have in our lineup, but experience is what matters the most," Priest said.
Gniewek, Mikkelsen and Scotto played in all 43 rounds (14 tournaments) for the Bears last season. Mikkelsen, a junior from Drammen, Norway, posted team-bests in rounds counted (90.7 percent), scoring average (73.13), score vs. par (1.40), rounds of par or better (20), as well as top-10 (five), top-15 (seven) and top-25 (nine) finishes during his stellar sophomore season. Scotto enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign in 2009-10, finishing second behind Mikkelsen in rounds counted (86.0 percent), scoring average (73.40), score vs. par (1.67), rounds of par or better (13) and top-25 finishes (eight).
Rounding out the trio is Gniewek, who transferred from Michigan State just before the start of Baylor's fall 2009 season. The Trenton, Mich., native finished third on the team in all four major categories - rounds counted, stroke average, score vs. par and rounds of par or better. He also posted two top-10, five top-15 and seven top-25 finishes.
After making huge contributions as a true freshman, O'Rear opens his sophomore season in Baylor's lineup. The two-time U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier carded a 74.93 scoring average in 25 rounds last year. Occupying the fifth and final spot is McGee, who will be making his career-first start in the Baylor lineup.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Event: Golfweek's Conference Challenge
Dates: Sun., Sept. 19-Tue., Sept. 21
Location/Course: Burlington, Iowa/Spirit Hollow GC
Par/Yardage: 72/7,360 (73.1 rating)
Field (15 teams): Baylor (Big 12), Campbell (Atlantic Sun), East Carolina (C-USA), Eastern Michigan (MAC), Furman (Southern), Iowa (Big Ten), Liberty (Big South), Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt), Nevada (WAC), New Mexico (Mountain West), N.C. State (ACC), Southeastern Louisiana (Southland), UC Irvine (Big West), VCU (Colonial), San Francisco (West Coast)
