Red Raider Golf Rallies To Top Five Finish

April 27, 2004

LUBBOCK, Texas - The 35th-ranked Red Raider golf team has once again finished in the top five at the Big 12 Championships in Hutchinson, Kan., extending their streak to five straight top 10 Big 12 finishes. The Red Raiders (294-303-296-893) shot a third-round score of 296 to storm back from ninth to tie for fifth with No. 24 Kansas (893) and No. 31 Colorado (893).

No. 10 Texas (893) took the overall team title for their third straight time at the championships. Texas' Jason Hartwick also captured medalist honors with a six-under 204 and was the only golfer to finish under par for the tournament. No. 22 Oklahoma (second-870), No. 7 Oklahoma State (third-873) and No. 37 Kansas State (fourth-881) rounded out the top four.

The Red Raiders had only one golfer out of the five that has competed at the championships previously. While Tech was a young team overall, it stayed focused and poised to finish fifth in back-to-back years, their highest finish at the championships since its beginning in 1996.

True freshman Oscar Floren (70-74-75) was Tech's top finisher in his first time out. Floren's tied for ninth, nine-over 219 garnered him his first top ten finish at the championships. Floren was the only Red Raider to shoot a even-par round of 70 for the tournament. Andrew Dresser (72-77-75), sophomore, carded a 14-over 224 to finish tied for 20th. Dresser's top 20 finish is his ninth of the season and his second top 20 finish at the championships. Dresser is the only Tech golfer that has competed for the Red Raiders at the Big 12 Championships, finishing tied for 10th last year.

Finishing tied for 29th; sophomore William Haddrell (77-75-73) shot a strong 73 third-round to jump from a tie for 49th, after day one, to finish in the top 30. Shooting a 19-over 229, junior Chris Pace (76-80-73) finished tied for 42nd. Shaun Melville (76-77-78), junior, rounded out the last of Tech's competitors in a tie for 47th. Melville posted a 21-over 231 outing for the Red Raiders.

The Red Raiders have finished the season thus far with nine top 10 finishes, five within the top five. Tech's highest finish came at the Carter Plantation Intercollegiate where it finished tied for second out of a 12-team field.

Tech hopes that this will not be the end of their quest towards a third-straight NCAA Regionals birth.

Before the announcement of the regional qualifiers, the Red Raiders will head to Ardmore, Okla., for The Maxwell Invitational May 15-16 for the team's last regular season scheduled tournament.

Results Listed Below:
T5     Texas Tech           294 303 296 893T9     Oscar Floren         70 74 75    219T20    Andrew Dresser       72 77 75    224T39    William Haddrell     77 75 73    225T42    Chris Pace           76 80 73    229T47    Shaun Melville       76 77 78    231

Team Standings
rank    team                scores
1   Texas                   287 290 287 864 +242   Oklahoma, U. of         295 292 283 870 +303   Oklahoma State          292 285 296 873 +334   Kansas State Univ.      290 289 302 881 +41T5  Colorado                295 301 297 893 +53T5  Kansas, U. of           291 301 301 893 +53T5   Texas Tech              294 303 296 893 +538   Iowa State Univ.        296 298 300 894 +549   Baylor                  299 297 299 895 +5510  Texas A&M Univ.         304 305 295 904 +6411  Missouri, U. of         299 301 320 920 +8012  Nebraska, U. of         314 299 313 926 +86

Red Raider Golf Rallies To Top Five Finish

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