Air Force Academy

March 27, 2009

The Air Force golf team returns to action March 30-31 at the 43rd-annual Morris Williams Intercollegiate, hosted by Texas. The 54-hole tournament will take place at the 7,412-yard, par-71 University of Texas Golf Club. Thirty-six holes will be played on Monday, with the final 18-hole round taking place on Tuesday.

Last Time Out...
Behind a school-record performance from junior Tom Whitney, the Falcons finished tied for seventh at the Desert Shootout, hosted by Denver in Goodyear, Ariz., March 19-21. The Air Force golfers fired a team score of 855, which ranks as the third-lowest team score in school history.

Whitney earned medalist honors for the second-straight tournament, with a tournament score of 200 (-16), the lowest individual tournament score in school history. In addition, senior captain Shaun O'Bryant also finished below par with a three-round total of 214 (-2).

The Field...
Eighteen teams, including eight ranked in the latest Golf World/NIKE Golf Coaches Poll, are slated to compete in this week's tournament. The full list follows, with Golfweek/Sagarin ratings in parentheses: Air Force (158), #17 Arkansas (19), Baylor (37), BYU (62), New Mexico (38), New Mexico State (81), Oklahoma (89), #3 Oklahoma State (2), Pepperdine (36), Rice (113), SMU (87), #18 TCU (18), #15 Texas (17), #20 Texas A&M (35), #13 Texas Tech (9), Tulsa (52), UNLV (14), and #2 USC (3).

In the Conference Rankings...
Junior Tom Whitney is currently ranked in the top five of the Mountain West Conference for lowest stroke average this season. Whitney is second in the league with a stroke average of 70.85.

Meanwhile, Air Force rates sixth in the MWC with a team stroke average of 294.93.

Finishing First...
With his first-place performances in each of the last two tournaments, junior Tom Whitney has now earned medalist honors three times in his career. Whitney also was the top performer at the 2006 Service Academy Golf Classic.

Air Force in the Record Books...
With its performance at the Desert Shootout, Air Force added another entry in the school's record books. The Falcons' team score of 855 for the tournament now ranks as the third-lowest in school history.

Three of the Falcons' fall performances also rank among the top 20 in school history. Air Force's team score of 859 at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate now ranks as the fourth-lowest tournament score, while the Falcons' total of 872 at the Falcon Invitational ranks 12th in the record book. In addition, the team's score of 875 at the Sycuan Collegiate Invitational is tied for 14th in the Air Force record books.

Individuals in the Record Books...
Junior Tom Whitney rewrote the Air Force individual record books with his performance at the Desert Shootout, setting new school records for lowest tournament score (54 holes), as well as the lowest single-round score and lowest score after 36 holes. His three-round total of 200 was two strokes lower than the previous school record, which Whitney set at the 2007 Agua Caliente Invitational. His score of 133 after 36 holes shaved two strokes off the previous record, a mark that he shared with 2007 graduate Tyler Goulding, while his score of 64 in the opening round was one shot lower than the mark set originally in 1971 by Chris Young and matched in 2007 by Whitney.

In addition, Whitney and sophomore Kyle Bailey each added their names to the individual record books after the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in September, now ranking tied for fourth 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 24th in the individual record books.

Whitney now owns nine of the 24 lowest individual scores in Air Force history, surpassing 2007 graduate Tyler Goulding, who has five. Whitney has also fired a 214 or lower in a 54-hole tournament 14 times , passing Goulding's mark of 13.

Air Force Athlete of the Week...
Junior Tom Whitney earned his second Air Force Athlete of the Week honors on March 23, after his record-setting performance at the Desert Shootout. Whitney finished 16 strokes under par for a school-record individual tournament score of 200, earning medalist honors in his second-straight event. He owned the previous school record of 202, set in 2007 at the Agua Caliente Invitational. In addition, Whitney shot the lowest round in school history on day one, firing a 64, one stroke better than the previous record, and also set a new record with his score after two rounds (133), which was two strokes lower than the previous record. Whitney's victory at the Desert Shootout gave him his second win of the season and he has now finished first in three career events, becoming just the third golfer in Air Force history to do so.

Up Next...
The Falcons have the next few weeks off before heading to Provo, Utah, for their last regular-season tournament of the spring. The PING Cougar Classic, hosted by BYU, will take place April 24-25.

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