Air Force Finishes 14th at Season-Opening Tucker Invitational

Sept. 12, 2009

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Led by senior Tom Whitney (La Quinta, Calif.), the Air Force golf team placed 14th at the 55th-annual William H. Tucker Invitational, hosted by New Mexico at the par-72, 7,562-yard UNM Championship Course. The Falcons put together a team score of 908 (+44) for the weekend.

Whitney posted a top-five finish in his first tournament of the year, tying for third place at 210 (-6), just two strokes shy of medalist honors. He completed the second round with a score of 66 before firing a 75 in the final round.

Newcomer Andrew Hoops (Highland, Calif.) rebounded from a rough opening day of competition to become the low scorer for Air Force in the final round, shooting a 74 in round three. Hoops finished tied for 85th overall in the individual standings at 233.

Also competing for the Falcons at the season-opening tournament were Robert Belz (So., San Antonio, Texas), Travis Deckert (So., Wichita, Kan.) and Wes Denny (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio), who finished tied for 90th,94th and 102nd,respectively.

Winning the team title at this year's Tucker Invitational was Mountain West Conference rival UNLV, which carded a team score of 843 (-21) for the weekend. Leading the Rebels were Derek Ernst and Colby Smith, who tied for medalist honors at 208 (-8).

The Air Force golfers are back in action next weekend, Sept. 19-20, as they host their annual tournament, the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, at Eisenhower Golf Club.

Final Results
14 Air Force 298-302-308 908
T3 Tom Whitney 69-66-75 210
T85 Andrew Hoops 83-76-74 233
T90 Robert Belz 76-78-81 235
T94 Travis Deckert 77-82-78 237
T102 Wes Denny 76-83-83 242

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