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BYU Men's Golf Wins California Tournament with Record Score: 46-under-par By Kristel Lander, NewsNet Sports Writer
Oct. 19, 1999
The BYU men's golf team took first place with a record score in a California tournament after placing sixth in a Texas tournament earlier in the week. The team ended with an overall score of 46-under-par in the Fresno Lexus Classic tournament and 22-under-par in the Taylor Made Red River tournament in Texas. "These tournaments were an example of how good our team is," team member Andy Miller said. "It shows that if we have one bad week, that doesn't determine everything in our future. Going from sixth to first place shows you can't judge everything by one tournament." Assistant coach Matt Thurmond said the team learned it has the ability to dominate if it stays sharp and play well. Thurmond admitted there are a lot of good teams out there, and BYU can't slack off if it wants to continue winning tournaments. "The last two tournaments showed me we still need to improve to be competitive with the top teams," team member Billy Harvey said. "To reach the team goal of being ranked number one in Golf Week, we need to win a few more tournaments." The team was not disappointed with its performance in Texas. Shooting 22-under-par is often low enough to qualify for first place, but that score only placed the team sixth. Harvey said one person on the team played well in Texas while the rest of the team was average. For the competitive BYU team, the Texas tournament was an incentive to play better. Miller said the team shot low numbers in the Texas tournament and simply got in the mindset to shoot low in California. BYU started out the California tournament in the lead after the first round. Harvey said once they got ahead, it felt more confident and played better. Team members Andy Miller and Manuel Merizalde helped the Cougars' score by tying for second place, with Scott Miller in third place. The numbers sound great, but they weren't quite good enough for Miller. "I definitely felt I should have won this tournament individually. I had the opportunity to win, but my putts just didn't go in. I didn't capitalize on my opportunities," Miller said. Miller might have to wait a while to win first place. The team will not play in any more official tournaments until February when it plays in Hawaii. Until then, the team plans to work out, run and practice in the Smith Fieldhouse. Thurmond said taking time off can be a disadvantage since most teams in Division I play year round. However, the resting period can also be a good thing. "The mental enthusiasm and excitement can make up for the lack of playing time. When we go to Hawaii, I assure you our team will be more excited to play than other teams that have been playing all winter," Thurmond said.
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