Troy University Athletics
Trojans Set to Compete for Sun Belt Conference Championship
4/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Golf
ORLANDO, Fla. - Perhaps now is the time for the Troy men's golf team to take the next step. With their two best rounds of the spring coming at the last tournament and a score just four strokes out of a playoff at the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Championship, the Trojans know they have the talent to be near the top of the league standings.
The 2006-07 season comes to a close this week when Troy and 12 other league teams compete at the Walt Disney World Resort. The 54-hole tournament is being contested at the par-72, Magnolia Course.
Michael McGrady leads Troy with a 73.4 scoring average, with three other Trojans just a slim 1.0 behind. Jake Broadhead stands second at 74.3, while Jordy Hayden and jay Harris are at 74.4.
Freshman Wes Parker rounds out the Troy five for the SBC Tournament.
"We are ready," Head Coach Matt Terry said. "We had a good practice round today and I know our players have the talent to put this all together. We need to play steady on Monday and Tuesday to be in a position to win on Wednesday."
A year ago, Troy started the championship 10 strokes off the pace, but made the turn in first.
Troy is slated to being its tee times at 9:30 (EDT) on Monday morning. Wes Parker 16 1228 66 2 6 - 2 2 +5 76.8 30 2294 76.5FOUR-PLAYER TEAM 28 8210 283 46 10 7 14 24 +6 293.2Tournament Dates Rounds Place Teams Players +/- Score Cobb/Ferrell Mean Green Classic 9/11-12/2006 3 6 14 75 +13 877 Raines Development Group Intercollegiate 9/18-19/2006 3 2 18 95 +11 875 F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate 10/23-24/2006 3 1 18 90 -6 858 Sam Hall Invitational 10/30-31/2006 3 10 12 64 +22 874 Troy vs. Samford Dual 02/24/2007 1 2 2 13 +9 297 Ron Smith/USF Invitational 03/02-04/2007 3 6 17 90 +24 888 Samford Intercollegiate 03/12-13/2007 3 6 17 84 +22 886 JSU Grub Mart-Young Oil Intercollegiate 03/19-20/2007 3 7 14 74 +52 916 Middle Tennessee/Aldila Intercollegiate 04/02-03/2007 3 4 11 60 +13 877 ASU Indian Classic 04/09-10/2007 3 4 16 92 -2 862
Heavy rains disrupted Sunday's practice round for a little more than an hour, but the teams went back out after the delay. Troy begins play with an 8:10 (EDT) tee time on Monday morning.
As a team, the Trojans have shown marked improvement over the spring portion of their schedule. After finishing last in an 11-team field at the opener, Troy has been more competitive with its scores and its places. Rounds of 306 and 307 at Southern Miss two weeks ago were the best of the year.
I think this is a good course,? sophomore Charlotte Sundqvist said. There are a few long holes, but are also places to put the ball. The last two tournaments our team score has improved, so we really just want to get better this week, but, of course, our ultimate goal is to win the championship.?
Sundqvist leads the women's team with a 79.4 scoring average, while freshman Desirae Zine is second at 80.1. Danielle Skipper and Kaley Branton are close behind with averages of 80.7 and 80.8, respectively. The five-person team for the week is rounded out by Sarah Weldon (96.6).
The team has just two returners from the squad that represented Troy in its first Sun Belt Conference Championship a year ago - Skipper and Weldon.
We have a lot better feeling this year than last because we have a solid five players,? Skipper said. Everyone puts more pressure on themselves because they want to play well, but in reality, this is still another tournament.?
While we still have a ways to go, I have been pleased with the progress of the program this spring,? Head Coach Matt Terry said. The addition of Desirae to the lineup at the semester break has given us a solid top-four, while Sarah cut strokes off her average all spring. I think a solid conference championship would be a perfect springboard into better things next year.?
