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USF men, women turn in top-5 finishes in Big East tournament

By MIKE TOMPKINS
Published April 26, 2006

DADE CITY - The USF men and women turned in respectable performances at the Big East Championships on Monday and Tuesday at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.

The fifth-seeded men shot 1-over 865 during the 54-hole tournament, finishing fourth in the 12-team field, 23 shots behind first-place Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish's 16-under par on the final round put them in a tie for first with top-seeded Louisville, and they claimed the title with a win on the first playoff hole.

Individually, four of the Bulls' five men finished in the top half of the 60-player field, led by freshman Brandon Lee, who finished in a tie for fifth with 4-under 212.

Junior Justin Fetcho finished tied for 17th with an even-par 216, while sophomore Tyler Hitchcock and junior Kevin Tilbury tied 25th and 29th, respectively. The only Bull not in the top 30 was Zephyrhills graduate Chris Black. The senior narrowly missed out, shooting 7-over 223 for a tie for 31st.

On the women's side, the second-seeded Bulls shot 50-over 914 to finish in a tie for third with Notre Dame and 25 strokes behind first-place Louisville in the seven-team field, but only four behind second-place Georgetown.

Individually, the Bulls, ranked 53rd in the nation according to Golfstat.com, had all five finish in the top half of the 33-player field.

They were led by junior Jessica Buchta, whose 5-over 221 earned her a third-place finish, one stroke behind Noriko Nakazaki of Notre Dame and one stroke ahead of Louisville's Cindy Lacrosse (Plant).

Junior Danielle Ronderos finished in 12th at 14-over 230, while sophomore Christina Jones, freshman Gennifer Mendez and senior Fernanda Rivera each found her way into five-way tie for 16th with 18-over 234.

AMERICAN AMATEUR TOUR: The Pasco County area was well represented in Saturday's Battle at Bent Tree at Bent Tree Country Club in Sarasota.

Fifty-seven players competed in six flights, with Wesley Chapel residents Paul Shaffer and Michael Henry claiming victories.

Shaffer rebounded from a 21st-place finish last week to earn his first win of the season in the Palmer division. Shaffer shot 6-over 78 to defeat Tampa's Roger Greene by two strokes.

Also participating was Land O'Lakes resident Jason Parker, who shot 90 to finish 10th in the 13-player flight. Henry, whose victory came in the Jones flight, shot 11-over 83 to defeat New Market, Md., resident Daniel Pastorek by one stroke and earn his second win of the season.

Dade City resident Joel Knickerbocker shot 11-over 83, earning a third-place finish in the Nicklaus flight. The Nicklaus flight, with a tour index requirement of 3.9 or less, is the tour's hardest flight.

Do you know a local golfer succeeding in the amateur or collegiate ranks? Is something going on at your course? Contact Times correspondent Mike Tompkins, 813 431-4812 or Mtompkins61@yahoo.com

[Last modified April 26, 2006, 01:22:18]