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The Rice Thresher
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by Chris Larson thresher editorial staff The golf team carded a season-best 282 Tuesday to finish 10th in a competitive 15-team field at the Purina Classic hosted by the University of Missouri. The finish indicates a continued improvement from last year. In the same event a year ago, the Owls finished tied for 14th of 17 teams. "We're definitely getting better," head coach Clay Homan said. "We've cut down on the mental mistakes that held us back in the past. We're doing a good job of keeping the ball in play, playing smart golf and keeping our composure." Senior Chris Connolly fired a final-round 68 to tie for fifth place in the individual standings, the highest individual finish for an Owl this season. His three-round score of 211, two shots under par, was the best Owl score for the season and was the first time a Rice golfer has shot under par in a tournament this year. "We've been getting good play from Chris," Homan said. "He's put together two pretty good tournaments back-to-back." At last week's Jim Colbert Intercollegiate, Connolly finished tied for 10th in a field of 50 golfers. One of Rice's biggest strengths this season, however, has been its depth, as several Owls have stepped up to pace the team through the first three tournaments of the year. Senior Frederik Dejaeghere, for example, tied for seventh to lead the Owls last weekend but struggled in Missouri. But freshmen Ryan Morgan and Scott Philips were each able to post three solid rounds this week to help pick up the slack. A different Owl has carded the best Rice score in each tournament. "We have a bunch of leaders," Homan said. "The younger kids do look up to the older kids because of their experience, but even our freshmen are showing leadership." As a team, the Owls finished seven strokes ahead of the University of Colorado, which entered the tournament ranked 37th in the nation. The Owls' ability to compete on the same level as highly ranked opponents has given them a refreshing change of perspective from last season, when they often found themselves dwelling at the bottom of the pack. "It should definitely help their confidence," Homan said. "You get confidence by building on successes and having good tournaments, and we hope to continue doing that next week [at the Crown Classic hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University]. "We can't be satisfied with the scores we shot at Missouri. We have to identify the mistakes we made and not make them again next week."
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