University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
at NCAA Regional
Golf Moves up to 19th Place at NCAA West Regional
5/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 19, 2006
TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Houston golf team improved on its first-round score by seven strokes Friday during the second round to move into a tie for 19th place at the 2006 NCAA West Regional.
The Cougars fired a team score of 288 for a 36-hole total of 583, 31 strokes behind team leader Arizona, and equaling the 36-hole score of Baylor.
North Carolina State and Florida were tied for second at 555, while Arizona State was fourth at 557. East Tennessee State (564), Loyola Marymount (565) Fresno State (566), UC Irvine (567), Washington (569) and Nevada rounded out the Top 10 team leaders.
For the second straight day, sophomore Jordan Irwin fired a 1-under-par 71 and stood in a tie for 38th place at 142 through 36 holes.
Senior Zach Mowbray, competing in the second NCAA Regional of his career, recorded the team's best round of the day, firing a 2-under-par 70 in the second round. The Mesa, Ariz., native was tied for 68th place at 145.
Junior Pablo Acuna, a 2006 All-Conference USA First-Team Selection, posted another of the Cougars' subpar rounds with a 71 on Friday and was tied for 57th at 144.
Junior Ricky Romano, a 2006 All-Conference USA Second-Team honoree, finished with a score of 76 and was tied for 115th place at 152, while senior Kevin Newman posted a 76 and was tied for 132nd place at 155.
Individually, North Carolina State's Nathan Spoon fired a 67 in the second round and led all players at 135. East Tennessee State teammates Rhys Davies and Gareth Shaw were tied for second at 136.
The Cougars are part of a 27-team, 141-player field on the 7,200-yard, par-72 course at Omni Tucson National Golf Club. The 54-hole event concludes with the final round starting at 9 a.m. (CDT). Live scoring will be available on the Internet at www.golfstat.com.
The Cougars, who earned the No. 13 seed at the Regional , join some of the nation's best collegiate teams in the field, including Florida, Arizona State, BYU, East Tennessee State, Baylor, Alabama, Arizona, San Diego State, North Carolina State, Washington, New Mexico, Stanford, Pepperdine, Louisville, Denver, Santa Clara, New Mexico State, Fresno State, UC Irvine, Nevada, San Diego, Cal Poly, Western Kentucky, Loyola Marymount, Jackson State and Bucknell.
The top 10 teams and top two individuals not on those teams will qualify for the 2006 NCAA Men's Golf Championships on May 31-June 3 at the Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.
The Cougars are making their first appearance as a team in the NCAA postseason since the 2002 NCAA Central Regional. Cougar golfers Brett Callas (2003) and Mowbray (2004) qualified as individual players for their respective Regionals.
Players Mentioned
