May 19, 2000
Freshman Matt Lindholm posted a three-under-par 68 but was the only Texas A&M golfer to take advantage of ideal conditions in the second round of the NCAA Central Regional on Friday at Victoria Country Club.
The Aggies posted a team score of 292, eight-over-par on the 6,846-yard, par 71 layout, and dropped from sixth place into a tie for 11th going into Saturday?â„¢s final round. The top nine teams, and the top two individual finishers not on those teams, will advance to the NCAA Championships May 31-June 3 in Opelika, Ala. The Aggies tee off on Saturday at 8:42 a.m. and will be paired with Ohio State and Michigan.
After carding a 291 in Thursday?â„¢s wind-swept opening round, the Aggies hoped to take advantage of Friday?â„¢s calmer conditions, which produced 30 sub-par rounds. No. 7-ranked Northwestern, led by Josh Habig?â„¢s course-record 63, carded a 16-under-par 268 to burst into the individual lead with a 564 total, three strokes ahead of No. 3 Oklahoma State (288-279=567).
The Aggies are tied for 11th with a 583 total, just three strokes behind ninth-place Baylor (580). Habig leads the individual standings with a 73-63=136 total, one stroke ahead of Lindholm (69-68=137) and Kent?â„¢s Jon Mills (71-66=137).
"We were disappointed that we didn?â„¢t take advantage of the conditions, but I?â„¢m pleasantly surprised that we still have a chance to make it to nationals if we play well on Saturday," A&M coach Bob Ellis. "It will be a real dogfight for the last couple of qualifying spots. We don?â„¢t have to shoot a bunch of 65s ?" we just have to have a decent score and we?â„¢ll be in."
No. 10-ranked Houston is in third place at 572, followed by No. 23 Texas (575), No. 20 Kent (576), Minnesota (578), Oklahoma (579), TCU (579), Baylor (580), SMU (581), A&M (583), No. 25 Kansas (583), Michigan (583), Mississippi (583), Ohio State (589), Tulsa (589), Southeastern Louisiana (594), Louisiana-Lafayette (594), Jackson State (594), Arkansas State (596), North Texas (596), Arkansas-Little Rock (596), Coastal Carolina (597), Colorado (600), Oral Roberts (603), Toledo (605) and Wichita State (605).
Lindholm?â„¢s 137 total sets a school 36-hole record for regional play, breaking the old mark of 69-69=138 set by current A&M assistant coach Dru Fenimore at the 1996 NCAA Central Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. Also for A&M, senior Ty Cox is tied for 40th place at 73-73=146, sophomore Sean Gilliland (75-77=152) and junior Casey Cronin (78-74=152) are tied for 98th, and freshman Dwayne Morley is tied for 106th at 74-79=153.
Lindholm played a flawless round through 17 holes, posting five birdies and no bogies. But his drive on the 598-yard, par-5 18th found a fairway bunker down the right side. His second shot strayed right and came to rest less than one-inch out-of-bounds. Lindholm went on to make a costly double-bogey seven, dropping him from the individual lead.
"I got a bad break at the end but I was really pleased with how I played," Lindholm said. "I?â„¢m kind of surprised to be in this position because there are a lot of good players here and I?â„¢ve had just an average year. It?â„¢s the kind of golf I know I?â„¢m capable of playing. We?â„¢re only a few shots back as a team so we?â„¢ve got a good chance to qualify for nationals. It all depends on the weather. Of it?â„¢s windy, a 290 would be pretty good but if it?â„¢s ideal, it will probably take 284 or better."
If the Aggies don?â„¢t make the NCAA Championships field as a team, Lindholm is in position to earn one of the two individual berths at stake.
"I?â„¢m just going to try to keep doing the things I?â„¢ve done the first two days -- hit the fairways and the middle of the greens," Lindholm said. "I?â„¢ve just got to play smart and trust what I?â„¢ve done."