SectionsGolf Bears washed away at home meet
Kevin Price
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Sports
The Branson Creek Invitational is usually a high point in the men's golf team's schedule, but this year cold and rainy weather mirrored the dreary attitude after the team's loss.
The invitational was originally scheduled as a 54-hole tournament, but it was shortened to a 36-hole format because of the weather.
On day one (April 6) of the two-day invitational, the Bears shot 321, 20 strokes away from Western Illinois, who finished first.
On day two, the men's team improved shooting a 307, but it still wasn't enough.
The men's team won the Branson Creek Invitational last year, but this year they finished ninth out of the 12 teams.
Junior Ryan Weinhaus shot a 155 and finished in 20th place, the highest finish for the Bears' team.
"It was a big disappointment," Weinhaus said. "We went from winning the tournament last year to finishing ninth this year. It is a much different feeling and now we have to do everything we can to bounce back and get back on track with conference coming close."
Missouri State sophomore Jack Courington finished tied for 24th with a two-round score of 156.
"Our team performance was very disappointing," head coach Neal Stafford said. "It was a very different feeling from last year as we won the 2008 tournament.
"We just didn't get the performance we needed from our top two players in (Jordan) McLaurin and (Jay) McBride. Courington, Weinhaus, and (Matt) Cermak all hung in there, considering the conditions."
Western Illinois finished in first with a combined score of 600. The team finished eight ahead of second-place Arkansas-Little Rock.
Brandon Crick of Nebraska finished in the top spot, shooting 147.
Going into the Invitational, the Bears were hoping for an advantage because they practice on the course at Branson.
"Home tournaments are great," Weinhaus said. "First, you get to play a course you are used to and play often. However, I think the best part of the home tournament is that many of our parents come out and watch, which is always a lot of fun."
However, the weather may have made the home field advantage a moot point.
"I always look forward to our home event as Branson Creek Golf Club is always a very attractive course for the incoming teams and coaches," Stafford said. "The weather has obviously been an issue the last two years, but the odds are more and more in our favor for next year to be nice conditions."
The Bears wrap up play today at the Mizzou Tiger Invitational in Columbia. Missouri State will compete in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament April 27 and 28 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The invitational was originally scheduled as a 54-hole tournament, but it was shortened to a 36-hole format because of the weather.
On day one (April 6) of the two-day invitational, the Bears shot 321, 20 strokes away from Western Illinois, who finished first.
On day two, the men's team improved shooting a 307, but it still wasn't enough.
The men's team won the Branson Creek Invitational last year, but this year they finished ninth out of the 12 teams.
Junior Ryan Weinhaus shot a 155 and finished in 20th place, the highest finish for the Bears' team.
"It was a big disappointment," Weinhaus said. "We went from winning the tournament last year to finishing ninth this year. It is a much different feeling and now we have to do everything we can to bounce back and get back on track with conference coming close."
Missouri State sophomore Jack Courington finished tied for 24th with a two-round score of 156.
"Our team performance was very disappointing," head coach Neal Stafford said. "It was a very different feeling from last year as we won the 2008 tournament.
"We just didn't get the performance we needed from our top two players in (Jordan) McLaurin and (Jay) McBride. Courington, Weinhaus, and (Matt) Cermak all hung in there, considering the conditions."
Western Illinois finished in first with a combined score of 600. The team finished eight ahead of second-place Arkansas-Little Rock.
Brandon Crick of Nebraska finished in the top spot, shooting 147.
Going into the Invitational, the Bears were hoping for an advantage because they practice on the course at Branson.
"Home tournaments are great," Weinhaus said. "First, you get to play a course you are used to and play often. However, I think the best part of the home tournament is that many of our parents come out and watch, which is always a lot of fun."
However, the weather may have made the home field advantage a moot point.
"I always look forward to our home event as Branson Creek Golf Club is always a very attractive course for the incoming teams and coaches," Stafford said. "The weather has obviously been an issue the last two years, but the odds are more and more in our favor for next year to be nice conditions."
The Bears wrap up play today at the Mizzou Tiger Invitational in Columbia. Missouri State will compete in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament April 27 and 28 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
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