Spears Earns Golfer of the Week Award

Four Valley men's teams -- Bradley, Drake, Illinois State and Wichita State -- were in action this week. Ryan Spears of Wichita State is the league's Golfer of the Week after taking second in the UTSA Intercollegiate.

Spears shot a third-round 69 at the UTSA Intercollegiate on his way to a second-place tie to pace the Shockers, who finished fourth in the 17-team event. Spears finished with a final score of 213 (72-72-69) and notched his fourth top-3 finish of the season, dating back to the fall season. With a three-round total of 875, the Shockers finished just two strokes back of second-placed Texas Tech, and one stroke behind Oklahoma, who finished third. Mississippi State won the event by firing a team-total of 864.

Illinois State was also at the UTSA, and the Redbirds were led by redshirt freshman Joe Emerich. He had a three-round 221 and finished tied for 18th. The team finished 12th with a three-round-total of 904 (302, 302, 300).

Bradley and Drake were at the Carlton Oaks Invitational in San Diego, and the Bulldogs placed second of 11 teams. Bradley was 11th. Luke Joy of Drake was the top finisher, as he placed fourth with a three-round 75-74-73=222. Teammate Ben Freeman also had a top-10 finish, tying for sixth with a 225. Bradley's top finisher was Zach Wanken. He took 26th with a three-round 233.

Quinney makes an ace, but Mickelson keeps the Northern Trust Open lead

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson lost his cushion, but not the lead Saturday at the Northern Trust Open.

Mickelson watched Jeff Quinney make a hole-in-one on the fabled sixth hole at Riviera that erased a four-shot margin, but saved par on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 to stay in the lead and move one step closer to adding this trophy to his West Coast collection.

Quinney made a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 67 that set up what appears to be a two-man race in the final round.

Mickelson, whose 15 victories on the West Coast Swing have come in every city but Los Angeles, was at 11-under 202. He missed the green to the right on the final hole, chipped 7 feet by and saved par.

"I thought it was a good, solid round," Mickelson said. "It should be an interesting and tough day tomorrow."

Quinney delivered the best shot, and maybe the worst.

Along with his hole-in-one that he could hear, but not see, Quinney bladed a wedge over the green on the par-5 11th that led to a two-shot swing in Mickelson's favor, then spent the rest of the gorgeous afternoon trying to catch up.

Quinney was at 203, four shots ahead of everyone else.

John Rollins fell back with consecutive bogeys and had to settle for a 69 that left him at 6-under 207. Scott Verplank, who opened his round with a four-putt from 30 feet on the fringe, shot 71 and was another shot back with Stuart Appleby (69) and Vaughn Taylor (71).

"Other than Tiger, he's probably the next best front-runner," Verplank said of Mickelson, who is 21-7 with a 54-hole lead. "He's awful good. So I'm going to have to play exceptionally well, and probably then would need a little bit of help."

Mickelson also had a one-shot lead last year going into the final round, losing in a playoff to Charles Howell. There were five players within three shots of the lead a year ago, but only Quinney, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has not won on the PGA TOUR, appears to be in his way this time.

"He's going to bring a lot to the table," Quinney said. "I have to bring my best to the table."

Quinney did not sound the least bit concerned about a four-shot deficit to Mickelson, saying after his second round that Riviera is not the type of course where one has to shoot 64 to make up ground.

Then, he looked as though he might do just that.

Quinney birdied the first hole with a long chip across the green on the par 5, then gained another shot when Lefty three-putted for bogey on No. 4. Quinney then holed a 20-foot birdie putt to reduce the lead to one-shot going into the sixth hole, famous for having a bunker in the middle of the green.

He thought that's where his 7-iron was headed. But it landed just to the side, rolled down the slope and into the cup.

Back on the tee, Quinney had already turned away and was looking over his shoulder when he heard the crowd erupt, the sure sign that he had made ace. He ran toward his caddie, unsure whether to hug or high-five, and it turned out to be a clumsy celebration.

"We need to get that organized," he said.

That gave him the lead, but only for as long as Mickelson hit 8-iron to 5 feet and made birdie, putting both at 10 under.

They matched birdies at No. 10 -- Quinney with a wedge to 2 feet, Mickelson by driving to the front of the green -- and neither showed signs of backing down. But everything changed with one swing.

Mickelson was on the par-5 11th green in two, Quinney just short of the bunker. Quinney caught two much ball, however, and it sailed over the green. He chipped back to 15 feet and did well to escape with bogey.

Even so, it was a two-shot swing after Mickelson made birdie, and Lefty kept his margin.

Mickelson had the 54-hole lead at Riviera last year, only this time the odds are even more in his favor. Five players were separated by three shots last year, while this appears to be a two-man race.

"Daylight is up front, first and second," Appleby said. "If I can shoot a good round tomorrow, 4 or 5 under, that would be a good score. Now, what's that mean for the tournament? Does that threaten the top? Probably not. It's not really an open tournament."

Divots: Pat Perez isn't any more optimistic about the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship than he was last week, when he thought he was playing Tiger Woods in the first round and didn't want to embarrass himself. He was told Saturday morning he would be playing Phil Mickelson. "Yeah, that's much better, because he's playing like (dirt) right now," Perez said with typical sarcasm. J.B. Holmes will play Woods and had a different outlook. "I'm in," he said. "That's all that matters." ... Marc Turnesa was on his way home Saturday morning until John Merrick missed a 4-foot par putt, meaning 78 players made the cut at 3 over. Turnesa then shot 67 and moved up to a tie for 29th at 1-under 212.

Sorenstam wins season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title

KAHUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam waited 17 months to collect a T-shirt from her sister and a bottle of wine from a friend with No. 70 proudly displayed on them.

"It's probably dusty," she said. "I'm ready to collect it now."

Sorenstam won the season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title and first since September 2006, birdieing two of the last three holes Saturday for a 3-under 69 and two-stroke victory.

"It's great to win tournaments and there's some tournaments that mean a little bit more and they come in a special time, and I would say this is one of them," she said.

The 37-year-old Swedish star, coming off an injury-shortened season where she failed to win last year for the first time since her rookie season in 1994, finished with a 10-under 206 total. It also was her second straight win in Hawaii.

"We've talked so much about '07, it's time to talk about '08," she said. "My clubs did the talking this particular week."

Rookie Russy Gulyanamitta (68), Laura Diaz (70) and Jane Park (70) tied for second. Angela Park (69), the 2007 rookie of the year who was assessed a two-stroke penalty, and Japanese rookie Momoko Ueda (71) tied for fifth, three strokes back.

Sorenstam dropped to a knee and shook her fist as she calmly sank a 24-foot downhill putt on the par-4 17th that ended any suspense.

"That was huge," said Sorenstam, who has won 47 times when holding the lead going into the final round. "That's one of those putts I'm going to remember for a long time."

She then waved both arms in the air and hugged her caddie after putting for par on the 18th hole.

"It's been a while," caddie Terry McNamara said as they hugged.

Sorenstam was limited to 13 events last year because of neck and back injuries and had six top-10s finishes, but couldn't add to her trophy collection.

In the first event of 2008, the world's former No. 1 looked like her old self -- relaxed, focused and dominant.

"This means so much to me," she said. "Last year was not a year I wanted to remember inside the ropes. I was determined to come back."

Sorenstam smiled as she walked the fairway on the par-4 16th after hitting a wedge to 4 feet, which she dropped for the outright lead that she wouldn't lose.

Sorenstam said she was a little hesitant and trying to protect her lead until she reached the turn when she told McNamara, "Let's play some golf."

She first went up by two strokes on the par-4 10th by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt, but quickly lost a stroke when her long birdie putt whizzed 8 feet passed the cup on the next hole. She three-putted for her only bogey of the day.

Ueda and Jane Park each birdied to tie Sorenstam for the lead at 8 under. Jane Park made a long putt on No. 15. Seconds later, Ueda rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14, drawing a roar from the sizable Japanese gallery.

However, no one could keep pace with Sorenstam.

Sorenstam was playing at Turtle Bay for the first time and beginning her season a month earlier than usual. It was her first appearance in Hawaii since winning the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at Waikoloa.

Gulyanamitta, who earned just $4,411 in her previous 17 events, jumped around the 18th green after sinking a long birdie putt. She made $75,867 Saturday.

Like Sorenstam, Diaz also was hungry for a win. She hasn't hoisted a trophy since 2002. Diaz shared the lead with Sorenstam until a double bogey on No. 7 dropped her into a crowd.

Angela Park (69) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the par-4 10th that gave her a triple bogey and cost her a shot at the lead and about $60,000. Park then birdied three of the next four holes to get back within a stroke of the lead before Sorenstam's late birdies.

Park said she wasn't holding up play. "I really don't think it's fair especially because I was in contention. I don't think it's fair at all."

Rules officials said Park's second, third and fourth shots on the hole all exceeded the time limit. Park disagreed and was visibly upset, in tears after her round.

"I was so mad out there," she said. "I was flying through the course on the back nine. I was so frustrated."

Without the penalty, Park would have finished 9 under, alone in second place for $100,458. Instead she earned $40,872.

Conditions were unusually calm on Oahu's North Shore. Even the normally roaring Pacific Ocean was peaceful. It was also balmy, forcing the players to find shade anywhere they could.

Ueda used an umbrella. Sorenstam hid under the ironwood trees.

Sorenstam and Erica Blasberg (74) were co-leaders heading into the final round at 7 under. Blasberg was playing in the final group for the first time in her career.

Her troubles started when she pulled her drive near the water hazard and had to pitch out on No. 7 for bogey. Blasberg tied for eighth with Cristie Kerr (73), In-Kyung Kim (71) and Yani Tseng (69) at 5-under 211.

Defending champion Paula Creamer closed with a 69 to finish at 4 under. She hit 18 greens in regulation but putted 34 times.

"I was grinding it out there," she said. "I saw the leaderboard and I think I got a little anxious."

GOLF Magazine Ranks Prairie Dunes #16 Nationally

Prairie Dunes Country Club, KS, USA
Green Keeper: Stan George

As seen with this picture of the 9th green in the foreground and the 8th hole in the background,
the landscape at Prairie Dunes will inspire any golfer.

Prairie Dunes enjoys a colossal reputation in the world of golf and yet, curiously enough, not but so many people make the trek to Hutchinson, Kansas to see the course. They know that the wind, humpy-bumpy fairways, plum thicket and firm playing conditions make it play akin to the links courses in the United Kingdom. But, unlike in the U.K., where for instance, Turnberry, Prestwick, Royal Troon, and Western Gailes are in a cluster, Prairie Dunes stands alone. Also, too, they reason that a visitor must be accompanied by a member as is the typical policy at leading private clubs in the United States.

In this last regard, Prairie Dunes is more like the leading British clubs whereby a proper Letter of Introduction can help a visitor gain access to the course at certain times through the week. In short, the people here believe in sharing, which effectively makes Prairie Dunes the very definition of a national treasure. And with the Wichita airport readily accessible and with travel so easy in the 21st century, there is simply no reason that any student of the game shouldn't beat a path to play this course.

The best way to convince someone of the merit of such a plan is simply to showcase each hole because they are individually of such a uniformly high standard that no one's architectural education could be considered complete without studying this course.

Scorecard of the Course:

(side note: While Perry Maxwell routed eighteen holes in 1937, the Carey family elected to open only nine holes prior to WWII, and in general, they were the holes closest to the clubhouse. Four years after Perry's death, his son James Press Maxwell completed the job in 1956. As Perry Maxwell's original 18 hole routing plan may not exist (like Pete Dye, one can imagine him saying 'Plan? Why do I need plans? I'm always there!'), the question arises as to whether Press followed his father routing and/or whether he perhaps found some of the holes himself. Regardless of who routed what, the man who built each hole is noted below).

1st hole, 430 yards (Perry); Though the diagonal angle off the tee makes it a first rate driving hole, the golfer is confronted with a design tenet that the Golden Age architects seemed to follow: defend par at the green. In this case, the green starts out as an extension of the fairway before rising to form a back right bowl. The hole remains a delight to play regardless of wind direction thanks to its open green front coupled with the uniformly firm and fast playing conditions through the green. Unlike too many great American classics like Bel-Air and of course Augusta National, the club board has shown the continual wisdom over the decades not to tinker with the design, other than to add three back teeing areas. The club has a long standing relationship with the firm of Coore & Creenshaw to insure that the mowing lines, green contours and green sizes remain faithful to the Maxwells' shared vision. Coore & Crenshaw have performed such work to the 1st and 2nd green complexes.

Just the site of such a hole makes one want to rush directly from the car and onto the first tee.
The ideal tee ball is at the far bunker with a draw.

The lower left hole location is much easier to access than the...

...the back right one as the two foot rise in the green helps act as a backboard for the lower hole locations.

2nd hole, 160 yards (Perry); The 12th green at Augusta National is famous for its diagonal angle that makes the player first determine his line and then select his club. Perry was performing consulting work at Augusta National the same year that the first nine holes opened at Prairie Dunes and it seems likely to the author that the strategic merit of the 12th was fresh in his mind as he built the 2nd hole (though the 2nd runs from front right to back left). A twelve foot deep bunker guards the front and yet to go over the green is worse. Unlike the 12th at Augusta National, the putting surface is full of character and undulations. When the U.S. Women's Open is held here from July 1st-7th, 2002, the contestants would be wise to treat it with the same respect/fear as the 12th at Augusta.

The 2nd green is set on a diagonal from the tee.

Believe it or not, missing the green in the front right bunker beats going over.

3rd hole, 355 yards (Press); Thanks to the long time former Green Keeper Doug Petersan, the back markers were relocated in the 1970s to the highest spot on the course atop the sand dune that dominates the front nine. As such, the golfer is exposed to the full effects of the prairie winds, which can change the hole from a three wood/flip wedge in the morning to a driver/punch five iron in the afternoon. Importantly, Petersan created a strategically appealing diagonal carry over the plum thicket when he moved the back markers up and to the left from the original Press teeing area.

The tee ball from high atop the dune on the 3rd tee can be unnerving, especially when the wind is up.

4th hole, 170 yards (Press); As at the 2nd hole, the green is superbly situated on a shelf with menacing bunkers cut out from the dune. While the 2nd green provides the opportunity for more four (!) putts, the 4th hole is longer and as such the ball is in the air longer, creating more time for drama to unfold as the wind grabs it and does mean things with it.

A perfectly conceived green complex - the 4th at Prairie Dunes. Even at this early stage, the golfer
starts to appreciate that the Maxwells never did anything forced or contrived with the land.

5th hole, 440 yards (Press); The golfer needs to play this hole as it is laid before him, which is to say straightaway. Any approach angle becomes progressively worse other than from the right center of the fairway. Generally, this hole plays into the wind and as such requires a very good long iron approach held underneath the wind. And yet, downwind the hole may even be harder as the golfer must use the bank in front of the green to brake his ball.

A drive at the right greenside bunker will keep all approach options open to the golfer.

A view back at the 5th teeing areas indicates how well integrated the tees are into the landscape.

Best to avoid the left side of the 5th hole altogether.

A view from the 6th tee back at the 5th green indicates how much longer the green is than wide,
which highlights the need for attacking the green head on. The short walk from green
to tee shows why the course is a walker's delight.

Wildcats Start Spring Play in Florida

THE FORMAT: The Central Distict Invitational, hosted by Michigan State, will be on Monday, Feb. 18, and Tuesday, Feb. 19. Both days will be a shotgun start beginning at 8:00 a.m. (CT). The teams will play 36 holes on Monday followed by the final 18 holes on Tuesday. Tuesday’s final round pairings will be determined by the two rounds played Monday, and the low four individual scores will determine the team score for each round.

THE FIELD: K-State is 3-5-0 against the Central District Invitational field. The Big 10- and Big 12-heavy field includes Baylor, Indiana, Kansas State, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Southern Methodist, Texas and Texas A&M.

THE HOST – River Wilderness GC: The Ted McAnlis-designed River Wilderness Golf Course is located in Parrish, Fla., and borders the north shore of the Manatee River. The course is landscaped on 150 acres and is part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. It boasts a 27,000 square-foot clubhouse and a 3,800 square-foot athletic center on its grounds.

LAST TIME OUT: K-State finished its fall season by placing third of 20 teams in Kiawah, S.C., at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate. The top-5 finish on the par 72, 5,933-yard Oak Point Golf Course was the Wildcats’ fourth top-5 placing during the five fall tournaments. Michelle Regan shot a 1-over par 217 to bring home second place. Kali Quick posted an 18-over par 238 to tie for 32^nd. Abbi Sunner was two strokes back after firing a 20-over par 236, tying for 38^th. Hailey Mireles was 22-over par, while Elise Houtz finished at 28-over par.

DYNAMIC DUO: K-State seniors Michelle Regan and Kali Quick have been leaders on the course for the Wildcats in their final seasons. They’ve brought home five top-5 finishes already during the 2007-2008 season, including one tournament win, and own the team’s two lowest stroke averages of the fall schedule. The pair has a combined 27 top-20 finishes in their collective careers and are looking to become four-time letterwinners for the Wildcats.

K-State’s Central district invitational Lineup:

Name Yr Hometown 07-08 Rds 07-08 Avg

Michelle Regan Sr Prairie Village, Kan. 14 76.14

Kali Quick Sr Nampa, Idaho 14 76.36

Abbi Sunner So Ankeny, Iowa 14 77.50

Hailey Mireles Sr Garden City, Kan. 14 79.29

Morgan Moon So Amarillo, Tex. 5 81.40

Spring Preview of the Wildcats: K-State women’s golf coach Kristi Knight looks for her team to continue the success from the fall as they take part in an exciting spring schedule. Seniors Michelle Regan and Kali Quick, along with sophomore Abbi Sunner, have been the most consistent players for the Wildcats halfway through the season. Regan owns a stroke average of 76.14 through five tournaments and won the Bronco Fall Invitational, the first win of her career. Quick had three top-5 placings during the fall and has a stroke average of 76.36. Sunner is right behind with a 77.50 average and finished in the top-20 three different times. Senior Hailey Mireles, junior Krista Nelson, sophomore Morgan Moon and freshmen Elise and Emily Houtz all gained valuable experience in the fall and look to contribute as the Wildcats travel to Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona before heading to the Big 12 Tournament in Stillwater, Okla.

The men’s golf team starts off slow in Hawaii

The men’s golf team left the Kansas winter for three days for the 18th Annual Hilo Invitational Golf Tournament in Kona, Hawaii. The tournament, which was held Wednesday through Friday at the 6,738 yard Waikoloa Village Golf Course, where par is 70, started the spring season for the Jayhawks.

Kansas finished 14th out of 18 teams with a total score of 858, 45 strokes behind tournament champion and Golfweek’s No. 8 college ranked team, Stanford. According to the Golfweek performance ratings, the tournament featured eight of the top 50 teams in the country. The Jayhawks’ finish tied its 14th place finish in last year’s Hilo Invitational.

“It was the first competition of the season,” coach Kit Grove said. “There’s a lot of rust right now because we haven’t played in a while.”

Freshman walk-on Brad Hopfinger and sophomore Bobby Knowles led the Jayhawks individually.

Hopfinger tied for 26th out of 96 players overall and started the first round with a career-best score of 66. He followed up the second round with 74 strokes. In the third round, Hopfinger shot a 70, giving him a three-day total of 210 strokes.

“As a walk-on, he exceeds all expectations of what you want out of a player,” Grove said. “You wish you could have 10 more like him.”

Knowles started the first round with a score of 73. Knowles continued to build off a solid start by scoring a 72 and a 71 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

“I was able to build on that success each day, which is something I haven’t done before,” said Knowles, whose 216 total tied him for 58th overall.

Freshman Nate Barbee tied for 68th place with a total of 217 strokes. Junior Walt Koelbel tied for 83rd place with a total of 221 strokes and junior Zach Pederson finished in 91st place with 227 strokes. The team finished each round in 14th place.

“We placed 14th, but we played against some of the best competition in the country,” said Knowles. “Overall, it was a great time to be in Hawaii.”

The team’s next competition will be Feb. 25-26 in the All-American Golf Classic in Houston. The Jayhawks will be attempting to defend their team title in last year’s tournament.