KFDM COOP Posted May 20, 2007 Report Posted May 20, 2007 Lamar Golf finishes fourth at NCAA Central Regional; Van Der WaltDaucy Crizer-Lamar University SIDMay 19, 2007 - 9:45PMSUGAR GROVE, Ill. – Junior Dawie Van Der Walt tied for medalist honors and Lamar University posted a best-ever fourth place finish following Saturday’s final round at the NCAA Central Regional hosted by Northern Illinois University at Rich Harvest Farms (Par-72, 7.214-yards). Van Der Walt, a junior from Cape Town, South Africa, carded a final round 3-over par 75 for a 54-hole score of 1-under 71-69-75—215. Dan Woltman of Wisconsin shot a final round 1-under 71 to tie Van Der Walt at 1-under 215. After making a birdie on the par-4 first hole, Van Der Walt made four bogeys to make the turn at 3-over par. He carded two birdies and two bogeys on the back nine. Van Der Walt placed third at last year’s Central Regional, so this was his best-ever regional finish. He was second in the field this week with 12 total birdies, tied for fifth in par-3 scoring (E), was sixth in par-4 scoring (+3) and tied for seventh in par-5 scoring (-4). Lamar, who entered Saturday’s final round alone in third place, came back to the pack a little bit with a final round 307 and placed fourth with a 54-hole total of 325-281-307—900, which was the Cardinals’ best-ever NCAA Regional finish. Lamar is advancing to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and fifth time in school history. The Cardinals tied for ninth place at last year’s NCAA Championship in Sunriver, Ore. Tulsa, the 36-hole leader, closed with a final round 310 and barely held off Alabama for the NCAA Central Regional championship at 895. The Crimson Tide was second at 898, followed by Louisville at 899. The top 10 teams qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be played May 30-June 2 at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va. Also making it from the Central Regional were Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Texas and Minnesota. Texas A&M was tied with Minnesota for the 10th and final spot, but the Golden Gophers claimed the spot by winning the first playoff hole. The top 10 teams from the East Regional and West Regional also qualified for the 30-team field at the NCAA Championships as did the top two individuals from each regional site not on an advancing team. From the Central Regional, the two individuals were Woltman and Tim Streng of Western Illinois, who placed third at 219. “I’m happy that we are advancing to the NCAA Championships, but I no we can play better than we did today and this week in general,†said Lamar coach Brian White. “Just like in the first round, we threw a lot of shots away today. We tried to do too much when we got into trouble today. We just didn’t respect how tough this course played. “We achieved our first goal, which was to make the NCAA’s but we fell short of our second goal, which was to win the regional. Dawie played great this week and deserved at least a share of medalist honors. We know we can play better and now we’ll have a chance to prove it at the NCAA Championships.†Oliver Bekker, a sophomore from Stellenbosch, South Africa, closed with a final round 4-over 76 and tied for 21st with a 54-hole score of 82-68-76—226. After a bogey-birdie start, Bekker made three bogeys and a double-bogey to make the turn at 5-over par. He made carded two birdies, including the par-4 18th, and a bogey on the back-nine. Bekker tied for the most eagles in the tournament with two. Dusty Smith, a senior from The Woodlands, turned in a final round 3-over 75 and tied for 21st with a 54-hole score of 80-71-75—226. He made two birdies and two bogeys on the front-nine to make the turn at even-par. His roller coaster back-nine included two birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey. Justin Harding, a sophomore from Cape Town, South Africa, shot a final round 8-over 80 and tied for 63rd with a 54-hole score of 81-73-80—234. He final round included a birdie, four bogeys, a double-bogey and a triple-bogey. Harding tied for sixth in the tournament with 33 pars. Casey Clendenon, a junior from Katy, posted a final round 9-over 81 and tied for 82nd with a 54-hole total of 81-74-81—236. He had one birdie and two bogeys on the front-nine to make the turn at 1-over. However, he made four bogeys and two double-bogeys on the back-nine. Arkansas’ Andrew Landry, who played his freshman season at Lamar University last year, shot a final round 4-over 76 and tied for sixth place with a 54-hole score of 74-71-76—221. Unfortunately for Landry, he missed on advancing to the NCAA Championships by two strokes. NCAA Central Regional Rich Harvest Farms – Sugar Grove, Ill. Team Standings 1. Tulsa – 895 2. Alabama – 898 3. Louisville – 899 4. Lamar – 900 5. Tennessee – 904 6. Oklahoma State – 906 7. Texas Tech – 907 8. Michigan State – 915 9. Texas – 916 10. Minnesota – 918 Lamar’s Individual Scores: T1. Dawie Van Der Walt, 71-69-75—215 (-1); T21. Oliver Bekker, 82-68-76—226; T21. Dusty Smith, 80-71-75—226; T63. Justin Harding, 81-73-80—234; T82. Casey Clendenon, 81-74-81—236.
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