Feb. 21, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. - Hoping to improve on its fall results, the Baylor men's golf team will tee off its spring schedule at the Rio Pinar Invitational. The 54-hole tournament will take place Monday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the 6,978-yard, par 72 Rio Pinar Country Club.
Monday's first round will tee off at 7:45 a.m. ET, followed by the second round. The final round on Tuesday will start at 8:30 a.m. ET. The 21-team field also includes Big 12 member Iowa State as well as UT Arlington.
One of the bright spots to Baylor's fall competition was the emergence of freshman Norwegian Joakim Mikkelsen, who led the Bears with a 71.64 stroke average in 14 rounds. Mikkelsen led the team with a 0.29 score vs. par and seven rounds of par or better.
Baylor posted back-to-back team tournament titles to open the fall season with victories at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate and Hartford Hawks Invitational in September. The Bears then closed the fall session with a fourth-place finish at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, a fifth-place showing at the Baylor Intercollegiate in Dallas and an 11th-place finish at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate.
Anchoring the Baylor lineup alongside Mikkelsen will be senior Bill Allcorn, sophomore Cody Paladino, redshirt freshman Lorenzo Scotto and mid-year true freshman addition Morten Bergan. Bergan will fill in for junior Colton Williams, who will miss the tournament with a knee injury.
"The fall season left us with a bad taste," Baylor head men's golf coach Greg Priest said. "It ended on a bad note, but we are looking to get back on the course and on the right track."
Last season, the host Golden Knights of UCF claimed the 2008 team title, while UCF teammates Greg Forest and Mike Stern shared individual medalist honors.
Daily results and recaps will be available online at BaylorBears.com, the official site of Baylor Bears athletics.
RIO PINAR INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT CENTER
Dates: Monday, Feb. 23-Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009
Site: Rio Pinar Country Club (Orlando, Fla.)
Host: UCF
Format: 54 holes (36 Monday, 18 Tuesday)
Start Times: 7:45 a.m. ET (Monday), 8:30 a.m. ET (Tuesday)
Yardage/Par: 6,978 / 72
2008 Champion: UCF
2008 Medalists: Greg Forest, Mike Stern (UCF)
2009 Tournament Field: Akron, Augusta State, BAYLOR, Connecticut, East Carolina, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Mercer, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UCF, UNC Greensboro, USF, UT Arlington, Vanderbilt, VCU, Wichita State.
