TCU Men Battle Back to Claim WAC Crown
5/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 2, 2001
BROKEN ARROW, Okla.--All five Horned Frogs birdied the last hole as TCU captured the team title at the 2001 Western Athletic Conference Championships at the Forest Ridge Golf Club on Wednesday. TCU began the third and final day four strokes behind host Tulsa, but grabbed the lead after nine holes and held on for a one-stroke victory, 896 to 897.
"This victory is huge," TCU head coach Bill Montigel said. "Obviously, one of our goals was to win the WAC championship. We were very fortunate, and when you get that many birdies on the last hole you're lucky. It was a total team effort. Our guys came out and played extremely well under adverse conditions."
The victory gave TCU its third WAC title in five years in the conference. The Horned Frogs also won the league crown in back-to-back seasons, 1997 and 1998. In addition, it was the TCU athletic department's seventh WAC crown in the 2000-01 school year, the most ever achieved by the school in one season.
TCU senior Scott Volpitto, who was tied for the individual lead heading into Wednesday's action, finished in second place with a two-over-par 218 total after carding a final-round 75. It was the best finish of his career and ranked as the best showing by a Frog golfer at a conference tournament since J.J. Henry won the 1998 WAC Championships. Tulsa freshman David Inglis grabbed individual medalist honors after shooting a one-over-par 73 that gave him an even-par 216.
Fellow Horned Frog senior Aaron Hickman scored a 54-hole sum of 222 for third place. He fired a one-over 73 on Wednesday, the second-best score of the final day. Joining Volpitto and Hickman in the Top 20 were sophomore Adam Rubinson (229-T16th) and junior Andy Doeden (230-T19th). TCU's final competitor, freshman Stephen Polanski, finished tied for 24th with a 233.
The nine WAC teams battled high winds, steady at 25 miles per hour with winds gusting to over 30 mph, on a mostly sunny day at the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma course.
Team Results 1. TCU 291-300-305=896 +32 2. Tulsa 293-294-310=897 +33 3. SMU 301-300-304=905 +41 4. UTEP 296-302-315=913 +49 5. Nevada 305-306-308=919 +55 6t. Hawai'i 307-301-316=924 +60 6t. Fresno State 299-308-317=924 +60 8. San Jose State 304-313-308=925 +61 9. Rice 311-301-324=936 +72
TCU Individual Results 2. Scott Volpitto 69-74-75=218 +2 3. Aaron Hickman 75-74-73=222 +6 16t. Adam Rubinson 73-78-78=229 +13 19t. Andy Doeden 74-77-79=230 +14 24t. Stephen Polanski 77-75-81=233 +17
