Tasker's Eagle Sparks A&M Charge at NCAA Men's Golf Championships
Jun 03, 2004 | Men's Golf
June 03, 2004
With Texas A&M's hopes of making the cut at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships fading, senior David Tasker took matters into his own hands in Thursday's third round at The Homestead's Cascades Golf Course.
Tasker, who had struggled with his putting the first two rounds, sank a 50-foot eagle putt on his seventh hole of the day, the par-5 16th, to spark a furious A&M rally that lifted the Aggies into 11th place and moved them into Friday's final round.
The top 15 teams advanced while the bottom 15 were eliminated. A&M tees off at 8:45 a.m. and is paired with Texas and Georgia State.
A&M posted a four-over-par 284 on Thursday, tying for the fourth-best round of the day. Starting play on the back nine, the Aggies were eight-over after just six holes, but played the next four holes in an astounding nine-under-par.
"This was such an unbelievable team effort," A&M coach J.T. Higgins said. "Tasker's eagle really gave us a huge lift. All the rest of our players were on nearby holes and you could hear the shouts all over the course. It fired everyone up and made them realize we were in it."
No. 5-ranked UCLA leads the team race with a seven-over-par total of 847, while No. 17 Kentucky is second at 852. No. 20 California (855) is in third, followed by No. 23 Washington (856), No. 8 Arizona (856), No. 1 Florida (858), Pepperdine (860), No. 22 Brigham Young (861), No. 6 Georgia Tech (861), No. 9 Texas (863), A&M (291-292-284=867), Georgia State (869), Penn State (870), No. 7 Oklahoma State (870) and No. 3 Georgia (871), which won a three-way playoff for the final qualifying spot.
Missing the cut were Purdue (871), No. 11 Southern California (871), defending national champion and No. 2 Clemson (872), No. 15 New Mexico (876), No. 10 TCU (877), Auburn (879), No. 4 Arizona State (879), No. 13 Oklahoma (879), Kent State (881), Toledo (884), SMU (887), Wichita State (887), Vanderbilt (891), North Carolina (892) and Rhode Island (912).
UNLV's Ryan Moore leads the individual standings with a nine-under-par total of 67-70-64=201. Arizona's Chris Nallen is in second at 69-67-67=203.
Tasker finished with a one-under-par 69, but the Aggies' hero of the day might have been the team's No. 5 seed, sophomore Rand Arbuckle, who bounced back from a dismal 81 in the second round to post an even-par 70. Sophomore Andrew Parr had a 72, junior David Schultz shot a 73 and senior Stephen Reed, who opened with rounds of 73-68, had a 78.
"We don't have a single player in the top 45, but we made the cut," Higgins said. "It has been a total team effort; everyone has contributed. They have come together to play for each other and their school. If all five can play well tomorrow, we have a chance to do something really special."
While overcoming UCLA is a tall order, A&M is shooting for its first top-10 finish since placing 10th in 1984. The last time A&M finished in the top five was in 1982, when it was fourth, the top finish in school history.
Arbuckle, Tasker, Schultz and Parr were each two-over-par through the first six holes, a stretch regarded as the toughest on the course. Arbuckle started the scoring barrage when a tapped in for a birdie on the par-5 16th, then Tasker followed with his eagle.
"The first six holes are very tough and when I made the eagle to get back to even par, it really fired me up and I kept burning the rest of the day," Tasker said. "I actually didn't hit the ball as well as I did yesterday, but my short game was good and I made some putts. That was the difference."
Tasker hit his second shot in the water on the par-5 17th, but after taking a penalty drop 40 yards from the flag, he stuck a wedge to within a foot to save par. Schultz and Parr followed with birdies on the 17th.
Arbuckle and Tasker each birdied the tough par-3 18th, then the trio of Arbuckle, Tasker and Parr each birdied the par-4 1st to start their final nine. From there, the Aggies played steady golf. Arbuckle recorded the team's final birdie when he almost aced the par-3 8th, dropping a wedge shot within three feet of the cup.
"I always seem to play better after a bad round," Arbuckle said. "I know I'm not an '81' player. Tasker was playing behind me and when I saw his eagle putt go in, it really got us going and gave us some momentum."
An A&M Consolidated graduate, Arbuckle was a mainstay in the A&M lineup two years ago before redshirting last season. He played in one fall tournament, but missed the next seven events. He re-entered the lineup in early April and has played in every tournament since.
"I never dreamed two months ago that I would be sitting here," Arbuckle said. "Considering what was at stake, I'd have to say this is one of the top three rounds I've ever played. It feels great to step up big when the team needed me."
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