Air Force Academy

Sept. 20, 2009

Results

USAFA, Colo. -

With senior Tom Whitney (La Quinta, Calif.) leading the way, the Air Force golf team finished tied for sixth place at its own Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, being held at the par-72, 7,321-yard Eisenhower Golf Club-Blue Course. As a team, the Falcons fired an 866 (+2), which ranks seventh on the list of lowest 54-hole team scores in school history.

Whitney, who entered the day tied for 17th place, fired a 68 in the final round to finish tied for third place at 211 (-5). It marked the second time in as many tournaments this season that he has finished in the top three, and the seventh time in his career. In addition, his three-round total ranks tied for the 17th-lowest individual tournament score in school history. This weekend also marks the 11th time he has carded a 212 or lower in a collegiate tournament.

Meanwhile, sophomore Travis Deckert (Wichita, Kan.) had the best tournament of his career, tying for 20th overall with a three-round total of 217 (+1), with just one round over par. Prior to this weekend, Deckert’s best collegiate tournament finish had been a tie for 88th place, with a low individual round of 76.

Robert Belz (So., San Antonio, Texas) also finished in the top 30 for the Falcons, tying for 29th overall at 219 (+3), while Andrew Hoops (Fr., Highland, Calif.) and Kyle Bailey (Jr., Austin, Texas) rounded out Air Force’s varsity group at 225 and 226, respectively.

Also representing the Falcons this weekend was the Air Force Silver team, which tied for 12th place in the team standings at 893. Sophomore Caleb Leestma (Seabrook, Texas) turned in the top finish for the team, tying for 47th in the individual standings with a personal-best three-round score of 222. Mark Boyer (So., Hershey, Pa.) followed two strokes behind in a tie for 56th place, while Wes Denny (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio) and Peter Guzowski (Sr., Tiffin, Ohio) came in at 227 and 228, respectively.

Colorado State won the tournament for the second-straight year with a total of 855 (-9), while Northern Colorado’s Steve Bidne took medalist honors with a 206 (-10).

The Falcons are off until Oct. 5-6, when they head to Andrews AFB, Md., for the Service Academy Golf Classic, which returns after a two-year hiatus. Air Force has dominated at the SAGC, winning the last 12 titles in the 14-year history of the event.

Final Results

T6         Air Force                 290-284-292            866

T17       Tom Whitney          72-71-68                   211

T20       Travis Deckert        72-72-73                   217

T29       Robert Belz             70-70-79                   219

T62       Andrew Hoops       76-71-78                   225

T71       Kyle Bailey              79-74-73                   226

T12       Air Force Silver     300-293-300            893

T47       Caleb Leestma      78-71-73                   222

T56       Mark Boyer             70-81-73                   224

T74       Wes Denny             75-73-79                   227

T79       Peter Guzowski      79-69-80                   228

T85       Aaron White            77-80-75                   232

105       Alex Horrell             80-76-84                   240

106       Tyler Downing        82-77-82                   241

Final Results in PDF Format