Falcons Travel to Arizona for Desert Shootout
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 17, 2009
The Air Force golf team is back in action this weekend, March 19-21, at the Desert Shootout, hosted by Denver. The 54-hole tournament will take place at the 7,015-yard, par-71 Palm Valley Golf Course in Goodyear, Ariz. One 18-hole round will be played each day.
Last Time Out...
The Falcons registered a fifth-place showing at the Argonaut Invitational March 2-3, posting a three-round score of 889.
Junior Tom Whitney, who has led the Falcons in all eight tournaments this season, was again the top finisher for Air Force, earning medalist honors with a three-round total of 207 (-9). His score in the event matched his best of the season and ranks tied for third-lowest individual tournament score in school history.
The Field...
Fourteen teams, as well as individuals from the University of New Mexico, are slated to compete in this week's tournament. The full list follows, with Golfweek/Sagarin ratings in parentheses: Air Force (161), Boise State (163), Cleveland State (159), Coastal Carolina (48), Denver (76), Iowa State (141), Kansas (115), Kansas State (59), Missouri State (190), Nebraska (142), Northern Iowa, Southern Utah (146), Tulsa (52) and Utah Valley.
In the Conference Rankings...
Junior Tom Whitney is currently ranked in the top 10 of the Mountain West Conference for lowest stroke average this season. Whitney is sixth in the league with a stroke average of 71.38.
Meanwhile, Air Force rates seventh in the MWC with a team stroke average of 296.17.
Finishing First...
With his performance at the Argonaut Invitational, junior Tom Whitney earned the second medalist honors of his career. Whitney also was the top performer at the 2006 Service Academy Golf Classic.
Whitney is the first Falcon since Ben Leestma (class of 2002) to earn medalist honors more than once in his career, and just the fifth all-time.
Air Force in the Record Books...
In four of its fall tournaments, Air Force made entries into the school's record books with its performance. The Falcons' team score of 859 at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate ranks as the third-lowest tournament score (54 holes) in school history. Air Force's total of 872 at the Falcon Invitational ranks 11th in the record book, while the team's score of 875 at the Sycuan Collegiate Invitational is tied for 13th in the Air Force record books. In addition, the Falcons' score of 879 at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate ranks 20th on the list of lowest-team scores in school history.
Junior Tom Whitney and sophomore Kyle Bailey each added their names to the individual record books after the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in September, ranking tied for third for lowest tournament score at 207. Whitney posted the same score at the Argonaut Invitational, earning medalist honors at the event. He also posted a score of 212 at both the Falcon Invitational and the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, ranking 22nd in the individual record books.
Whitney now owns six of the 22 lowest individual scores in Air Force history, passing 2007 graduate Tyler Goulding, who has five. Whitney has also fired a 214 or lower in a 54-hole tournament 13 times, matching Goulding's mark.
Up Next...
The Falcons head to Austin, Texas, March 30-31 for the Morris Williams Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Texas.
