Spring Break
Men's golf continues season at Wyoming Cowboy Classic
Oregon State plays third tournament in 15 day stretch beginning today in Scottsdale, Ariz. at Talking Stick-North Golf Club
John Daly
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Sports
Rumbling into its third tournament in only 15 days, the Oregon State University men's golf team looks to avoid exhaustion and post yet another fierce score as it travels to Scottsdale, Ariz., to play the Wyoming Cowboy Classic today.
The Beavers have endured a brutal schedule this season; one that has seen everything from month-long tournament hiatuses to months like this where the team will have played five events in four states in four weeks' time.
"It's been tight, definitely," junior Paul Peterson said. "We just got back from Santa Cruz late, and you want to sleep in. They usually give us a day off between travel days, and so then you only get one day of practice in, and then you're heading out again for the next tournament."
The next item on the dizzying checklist is a tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, but played in sunny Scottsdale, Ariz. The team is in for a treat, as the venue is set to be the luxury Talking Stick-North Golf Club, where the Beavers performed well in their event last year.
The team shot well in the two most recent tournaments, posting a third place finish at the Oregon Duck Invitational in Eugene, and a sixth place finish at the 63rd Annual Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif.
The highlight of the two-tournament stretch was clearly the performance of junior Diego Velasquez at the Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, where he achieved a definitive first place finish. The field of 93 NCAA golfers was no match for the striker from Bogota, Colombia, now playing for Oregon State.
"I kept the ball in play and hit the fairways," Velasquez said. "If you don't hit the fairway, you're going to have a long day. My shots into the green were very accurate. That kept my motivation going. I sank a few putts coming into the last round that I needed to make to secure the win."
Velasquez shot a dazzling four-under par 66 in the second round of competition, and held off the rest of the field with a strong even-par 70 on the final day to finish alone in first place, three strokes ahead of University of Colorado's Derek Tolan and Michigan State's Jack Newman.
The Beavers have endured a brutal schedule this season; one that has seen everything from month-long tournament hiatuses to months like this where the team will have played five events in four states in four weeks' time.
"It's been tight, definitely," junior Paul Peterson said. "We just got back from Santa Cruz late, and you want to sleep in. They usually give us a day off between travel days, and so then you only get one day of practice in, and then you're heading out again for the next tournament."
The next item on the dizzying checklist is a tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, but played in sunny Scottsdale, Ariz. The team is in for a treat, as the venue is set to be the luxury Talking Stick-North Golf Club, where the Beavers performed well in their event last year.
The team shot well in the two most recent tournaments, posting a third place finish at the Oregon Duck Invitational in Eugene, and a sixth place finish at the 63rd Annual Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif.
The highlight of the two-tournament stretch was clearly the performance of junior Diego Velasquez at the Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, where he achieved a definitive first place finish. The field of 93 NCAA golfers was no match for the striker from Bogota, Colombia, now playing for Oregon State.
"I kept the ball in play and hit the fairways," Velasquez said. "If you don't hit the fairway, you're going to have a long day. My shots into the green were very accurate. That kept my motivation going. I sank a few putts coming into the last round that I needed to make to secure the win."
Velasquez shot a dazzling four-under par 66 in the second round of competition, and held off the rest of the field with a strong even-par 70 on the final day to finish alone in first place, three strokes ahead of University of Colorado's Derek Tolan and Michigan State's Jack Newman.
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