October 30, 2009
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Barton College's Tom Muto, Jr. has been selected as the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas men's golf Player of the Month during the month of October.
Muto, a senior from Wolcott, N.Y., just completed one of the best fall seasons in school history while leading the Bulldogs to a national ranking of No. 3 in Golfstat. He finished third of 105, third of 90 and second of 87 players in three team events in October. The Bulldogs beat eight teams in the top 10 nationally to finish third of 21 teams at the AFLAC Cougar Invitational hosted by Columbus State on Oct. 5-6. Muto was the leader in the clubhouse for two hours before finishing third at 70-69–139 (-3).
The next week in the Queens Invitational at the TPC of Sawgrass, Muto fired 70-72–142 (-2) to finish tied for third overall as the Bulldogs claimed the title of the 17-team field with identical even par rounds of 288. Barton's 576 was five shots clear of runner-up Florida Southern.
Muto was in contention for yet another title at the Will Wilson Southeast Regional Preview at Tanglewood Oct. 18-20 and finished just one shot off the pace again at 71-67-73–211 (+1), good for a tie for second as Barton won the 16-team event at 299-284-296–879 by two shots over USC Aiken.
For the month, Muto, an Academic All-American last season and a DIII All-American at St. John Fisher before transferring to Barton, averaged 70.29 and shot six of seven rounds at par or better. He is ranked among the top five nationally in DII scoring through four events at 70.7.
"I am very proud of Tom and the rest of my team," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "They are making great decisions on how to work their way around golf courses, and it's showing. Now, we just want to stay in shape, catch up on some schoolwork, stay motivated during the winter, then come out playing some great golf in the spring (Barton's next event is Feb. 6-8 in Orlando)."
With the departure of All-American Jonathan Burke (a fifth-year senior now doing his student teaching), Hackney says Muto has stepped to the forefront.
"Tom has taken on a leadership role with this team, both on and off the course," Hackney said. "We played some outstanding golf courses in the fall, and he still posted a scoring average under par, so that speaks volumes about the level of his game."
Muto hitting an outstanding 71.6 percent of the greens in regulation and has a .658 short-game save percentage, which ranks him among the country's best. He converts 29.3 percent of his birdie opportunities and is averaging 30.3 putts per round.
"His game is sharp on almost every level," Hackney said. "He — and all of us — have some big goals, and we're off to a good start."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
October 20, 2009
CLEMMONS, NC — The nationally 3rd-ranked Barton College golf team has done it again.
For the second straight week, the Bulldogs claimed a tournament title over some high-level foes, this time winning the Will Wilson Memorial/Southeast Regional Preview on the Tanglewood Park Championship Course. Barton, which surged into the lead with a scorching second round of 284 (+4) on Monday, fired a 296 (+16) on Tuesday to hold off the University of South Carolina-Aiken by two strokes.
Barton carded a 299 for its low four individuals in Sunday's opening round of the 54-hole event and was in fifth place, five shots off the pace set by host Belmont Abbey. Led by senior Tom Muto Jr. (Wolcott, NY) and junior Daniel Castleberry (Clayton, NC), who fired 67 (-3) and 70, respectively, Barton took a three-shot lead over Belmont Abbey after day two. In the final round Tuesday, Abbey put on an early charge and seized the lead on the front nine, but the Bulldogs proved resilient and settled in to take the title.
Barton, which won the 2009 Conference Carolinas Championship at Tanglewood back in May, finished at 299-284-296–879 (+39) on the difficult 7,100-yard layout that was the site of the 1974 PGA Championship.
Aiken, owner of three NCAA D-II National Golf Championships, fired 301-292-288–881. Lander (SC) and Abbey tied for third at 884 and Flagler, lead by medalist Chris Bray (even par 210), took fifth at 888. Mount Olive (892), Carson-Newman (896) and UNC Pembroke (897) followed in the 16-team field.
For the second time in three fall events, Muto nearly won the individual title. He shot 71-67-73–211 (+1), missing a playoff by one stroke. Senior Stephen Harrison (77-74-72) and sophomore David Boyce (75-75-73) finished at 223 and tied for 14th for the Bulldogs. Castleberry tied for 35th at 79-70-78–227 and freshman Daniel Claytor tied for 44th among 90 players at 76-73-81–230.
Sophomore Dalton Rich (Durham, NC) competed as individual for the Bulldogs and shot 74-77-87–238.
"This was another fine performance by our guys," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "We finished third in our first event and beat eight teams in the top 10, then won back-to-back events to finish the fall on two tremendously challenging golf courses (won the Queens Invitational at the TPC of Sawgrass last week). The guys just came through on numerous occasions and showed a lot of maturity in some pressure-packed situations. The beauty of it all is that we feel like we have played well, but not great. Hopefully, we can come out of the gates playing really well in the spring."
Barton, which was 48-2 in the fall, will begin its spring schedule in early February at the D-II Golfweek Preview at Reunion Resort in Orlando.
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
October 13, 2009
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL — The nationally 7th-ranked Barton College golf team fired its second consecutive even-par round of 288 on Tuesday to capture the Queens University Invitational at the TPC of Sawgrass.
The Bulldogs prevailed over the 17-team field behind a 70 from sophomore David Boyce (Charlotte, NC), 72s from freshman Daniel Claytor (Rocky Mount, NC) and senior Tom Muto Jr. (Wolcott, NY) and a 74 from junior Daniel Castleberry (Clayton, NC). Senior Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC) had an 82.
The Bulldogs finished at 288-288-576 to beat Florida Southern by five shots and Flagler University by 10. Muto and Castleberry tied for third place overall in the 89-player event at 142 (-2) on Pete Dye's Valley Course.
"This was a great win for our team," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "The guys were really focused and battled hard both days on a tough course. They hit some sensational shots and came up with some clutch putts when we needed them."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
October 12, 2009
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.- Nationally 7th-ranked Barton College is leading the 17-team field by four-strokes in the Queens Invitational after firing an even-par round of 288 Monday at TPC Sawgrass Valley Course in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The two-round tournament will conclude on Tuesday with 18 holes of play.
Barton has two golfers in the top two spots, Junior Daniel Castleberry (Clayton, NC) is in first place with a score of 4-under 68 and Thomas Muto Jr. (Wolcott, NY) is tied for second with a two-under 70. Others tied for second are: John Frisby of Belmont Abbey College, Chris Bray of Flagler College, Pete Skirpstas of Mount Olive and Nate Gahman of Georgia Southwestern.
Also finishing the first round under-par were Ben Lasso of Queens, Joe Campbell of Belmont Abbey, Ryan Booth of Anderson University and Shelton Smith of Florida Southern with 71s.
Barton, which is coming off a third-place showing last week in Columbus, GA, also counted 75s from freshman Daniel Claytor (Rocky Mount, NC) and senior Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC). Sophomore David Boyce (Charlotte) fired a 76.
Barton is the highest-ranked team in the field, which includes 89 players. Belmont Abbey is ranked No. 8 by Golfstat and Abilene Christian is No. 12. Abbey and Abilene Christian are each four shots off Barton's lead. That trio of teams will be in the final pairing tomorrow for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
The field includes five teams in the top 25 and eight in the top 35.
Castleberry had six birdies and two bogeys in his round while Muto notched five birdies and two bogeys. Harrison struggled from tee to green (hit just six greens), but he had 13 one-putt greens and needed just 24 putts overall.
"This was a good start for us on a tough golf course," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "We just want to finish it off with a victory tomorrow."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
October 7, 2009
The Barton College golf team, fresh off a third-place finish in the AFLAC Cougar Invitational in Columbus, GA, this past Monday and Tuesday, has been ranked No. 7 in this week's NCAA D-II Golfstat poll.
The Bulldogs fired two identical rounds of 286 (+2) to finish 4-over par in the 21-team field that included eight top-10 teams and 13 of the top 19 at the Green Island Country Club. Barton entered the event unranked since it had not participated in a fall team tournament. The Bulldogs finished one shot behind then No. 11 North Alabama (now 6th) and No. 2 Barry, which moved up to No. 1 after winning the event at -6. Barton finished ahead of eight teams ranked in the top 10.
This marks the 10th time in the last 11 years that the Bulldogs have achieved a national Top 25 ranking by either Golfstat or the Golf Coaches Association of America.
"I am pleased that our young men are being recognized since they put so much time into their games," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "They put in a really strong showing in the biggest D-II tournament of the fall. The field was certainly loaded, and we held our own. We have a talented group of players who have big dreams this season. We are happy with the ranking, but we want to be at the top come next May."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
October 7, 2009
COLUMBUS, GA — Senior Tom Muto (Wolcott, NY) fired a 3-under par total of 139 for two days to lead Barton College to a third-place finish out of 21 teams in the Aflac Cougar Invitational at the Green Island Country Club.
Muto, who was 5-under on his first nine holes of Tuesday's final round, shot 70-69 to finish third of 105 players. The field included the top five NCAA D-II teams in the nation and 13 of the top 19 schools. Barton, which entered the event unranked because it was opening the team portion of its schedule, carded rounds of 286 (+2) each day to finish +4 overall. Nationally No. 2-ranked Barry University of Miami won the team title at -7, while No. 11 North Alabama shot +3 to edge Barton by a shot for second place on the par 71 layout that hosted the PGA's Southern Open for some 20 years.
The Bulldogs beat seven teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Senior Stephen Harrison shot 69-76-145 to place 33rd for Barton, while junior Daniel Castleberry (73-73) and sophomore David Boyce (74-72) tied for 43rd at 146. Freshman Daniel Claytor tied for 70th at 77-72-149.
"The guys just played really solid," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "We avoided big mistakes and battled hard. The real key was the surge we put on late Monday with nine birdies and an eagle on the final five holes. That put us in good position heading into Tuesday."
The course was very wet from heavy rains on Sunday night and Monday morning, so scoring was not as good as it could have been, Hackney said, noting that players in the field were hitting mud-covered balls on many shots.
"The field was the best one nationally this fall, and we held our own," Hackney said. "We feel we have a really strong team, so getting off to such a good start against many of the nation's best teams is a plus."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
September 13, 2009
ROCKY MOUNT, NC - Freshman Daniel Claytor, playing in his hometown of Rocky Mount, fired a 6-under par 69-69-138 at Ford's Colony Golf Club this weekend to win individual medalist honors in the N.C. Wesleyan Fall Invitational.
Claytor, who was an all-state prep player at nearby Northern Nash High School, becomes the fourth Barton player to win his first collegiate event, joining Ben Bridgers, Paul Todd and Kyle Post with that distinction.
Claytor made six birdies on Saturday and had three birdies and one eagle on Sunday to hold off senior teammate Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC). Harrison, who recently played in the U.S. Amateur, carded seven birdies on Sunday to finish with a tournament-low round of 67. Harrison shot a 73 on Saturday for a 140 total.
"It's always good to start off on the right foot," said Claytor, who had 13 one-putts in two days. "It's a huge accomplishment. I think the keys were just staying positive, keeping the ball in play and doing what I know how to do."
Four players tied for third place at 1-over 145 in the 63-player field, but Barton senior Tom Muto Jr. (Wolcott, NY), won by virtue of his birdie on the No. 1 handicap hole: the par-5, 602-yard 7th hole. Muto shot 75-70-145. His teammate, sophomore Darren Smith (Newcastle, England) fired the same scores to tie for third.
Barton had nine players compete as individuals, but would have scored a 12-under par 276 had it played as a team. Other Bulldogs participating in the event were: junior Daniel Castleberry (Clayton, NC) at 73-73-146; junior Taylor Hernandez (Clayton, NC) at 76-72-148; sophomore Dalton Rich (Durham, NC) at 75-76-151; and junior Will Vinson (Pikeville, NC) at 76-78-154. Sophomore David Boyce (Charlotte) shot 73 in the opening round but did not compete Sunday because of the flu.
"I was really proud of the way our guys played in our opener," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "We had some sickness running through our team and yet the guys battled through the heat to post to really solid numbers. Claytor played really solid for two days and had a hot putter. Harrison was on top of his game Sunday and guys like Hernandez and Rich finished strong, which was good to see. We had five of our eight guys shoot par or better on Sunday, so I think that bodes well for the season."
Cape Fear Community College shot 587 (+11) to win the team title by one shot over N.C. Wesleyan.
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
August 25, 2009
TULSA, OK — Barton College senior Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC) was looking good in his bid to secure one of the final 64 match-play spots following a scintillating 1-under 34 on the front nine Tuesday in the second round of the United States Amateur Golf Championship.
Harrison started the final nine holes of the 36-hole stroke play at 3-over through 27 holes, but a back-nine 43 at Cedar Ridge Country Club ended his chances. After recording birdies at Nos. 2 and 4 to start the round, he bogeyed No. 7. Three straight bogeys on Nos. 10, 11 and 12 were followed by a disastrous triple bogey on the 235-yard, par-3 13th. He also doubled the 209-yard 15th before finishing with three straight pars for a 77.
His two-day total of 151 (he shot 74 at Southern Hills on Monday), left him three shots behind the match-play cut line of +8.
John Tyler Griffin, also of Wilson and a redshirt junior at Georgia Tech, shot 78 at Southern Hills Tuesday and missed the cut as well with a two-day total of 149 (+9). Griffin was making his fourth straight appearance in the U.S. Amateur while Harrison is the first Barton golfer to play in the event while currently enrolled. Griffin finished tied for 88th while Harrison tied for 122nd. Some 7,000 golfers began their U.S. Amateur bid at 99 sites around the country in early August.
Tim Jackson, the 50-year-old from Germantown, TN, was the stroke play medalist at 68-72–140 (even par). He gained notoriety earlier this summer when he led the U.S. Senior Open through 36 holes.
None of the 312 players who made it to Tulsa broke par for 36 holes on the two long, tough layouts. Southern Hills played at nearly 7,100 yards while Cedar Ridge was just under 7,400.
"I know Stephen is disappointed since he had the field of 64 in his sights," Barton head coach John Hackney said, "but he has had an outstanding summer, and we are looking for great things from him at Barton during his senior season."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
August 24, 2009
TULSA, OK — Barton College senior Stephen Harrison (Wilson, NC) got off to a solid start on Monday in the first round of stroke play in the United States Amateur Golf Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.
Harrison, who began his round on No. 10, carded an even-par 35 on holes 10-18, then shot 4-over 39 on the front nine for a round of 4-over 74. He is in a massive 25-way tie for 62nd place in a field of 312 golfers. Half the field played Southern Hills (site of four PGA Championships and three U.S. Opens) on Monday while the other half played nearby Cedar Ridge.
Harrison's round included two birdies and six bogeys. He hit 11 greens and only 3-putted one time on the slick surfaces, but said any time he missed a fairway, it was hard to hit the sloping greens.
"I didn't feel like I played that bad, but it's just a ridiculously hard golf course," Harrison said. "I hit my irons well and, when I missed a fairway, it was just barely, but then it was hard to get to the green. I had a 20-foot birdie putt on my first hole, then I had 10 feet left for par, but I made it."
Wilson's John Tyler Griffin, a redshirt junior at Georgia Tech, fired a 1-over round of 71 at Cedar Ridge and is tied for 12th place. The top 64 golfers after Tuesday's 18 holes will advance to match play, which begins on Wednesday at Southern Hills.
The field, which began with more than 7,000 players at 99 sites, includes many of the country's top collegians. Tim Jackson of Germantown, TN, leads with a 2-under 68 at Southern Hills. Jackson, 50, led the 2009 U.S. Open after 36 holes. Only four other players broke par amid the 312 players, and each of them shot 1-under at Cedar Ridge.
Harrison likes his chances of advancing. His game plan is to keep hitting fairways and make sure he keeps his approach shots below the hole, "so I can be aggressive with my putts."
Harrison had the 17th-best score at Southern Hills on Monday. Of the top 61 players, 44 played at Cedar Ridge.
"If I can shoot even par tomorrow (Tuesday), I think I've got a good shot," Harrison said.
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
August 23, 2009
Barton College senior Stephen Harrison will begin play in the 109th United States Amateur Golf Championship Monday morning at 9:50 eastern daylight time.
The event, which began with more than 7,000 entries at 99 sites around the country, has been whittled down to 312 players who will vie for the national title in Tulsa, OK.
Half the field will tee it up at Southern Hills Country Club (par-70, 7,093 yards) for 18 holes of stroke play on Monday while the other half will play at nearby Cedar Ridge (par 70, 7,336 yards). Players will switch sites on Tuesday.
Harrison will be paired with Drew Preston of Grand Rapids, MI, and Carson Gibson of San Antonio for the first two days. That trio will tee off on the 10th hole at Southern Hills on Monday and begins at 3:05 p.m. EDT on Tuesday on the 1st tee at Cedar Ridge. John Tyler Griffin, a redshirt junior at Georgia Tech, is the other Wilsonian in the field. He opens his fourth straight U.S. Amateur appearance on the 1st hole at Cedar Ridge Monday at 9 a.m. EDT.
Results can be followed at www.usga.org.
"Southern Hills is a bear," Harrison said Sunday night from his hotel. "I think Cedar Ridge is a little bit easier, but you don't get a breather on either one of the golf courses. The greens at Southern Hills (site of the 2001 U.S. Open and 2007 PGA) are just ridiculous. They are the fastest greens with more slope than I have ever played on. On a lot of the holes, you are better off short of the green and chipping than being 20 feet above the hole on the green."
Harrison projected a two-day score of 146 might advance before heading to Tulsa. He thinks the 64th player (last to make the cut to match play) may fire an even higher number now that he has played the courses.
"I think the average score will be 77-78 at Southern Hills," he said. "Anything 73 and below would be a really good score. At Cedar Ridge, you can get a little more lucky in that you can still get on the green from some places. I hit the ball pretty well today on that course and shot 2-over."
Harrison, who got off to a strong start in his career at Barton with a solid freshman year, had a tough sophomore season (when he tore his ACL in the spring), then missed the first half of his junior season after having surgery. However, the two-time N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A individual champion at Greenfield School (was also runner-up his senior year) has found his groove again this summer.
He won the Wake County Amateur over a strong field with a 66-70-136, then set the all-time scoring record at his home course in Wilson in winning the Willow Springs Country Club Men's Championship at 63-66-129 (13-under par). Harrison didn't do anything extraordinary in his U.S. Amateur Qualifier at Walnut Creek Country Club in Goldsboro, NC, but finished at 71-71-142, then won a playoff for the third and final spot with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Harrison flew out Friday morning to Tulsa, where he and his caddie, Randy Garris, got in practice rounds on both courses during the weekend.
The field of 312 will be cut to 64 players after 36 holes of stroke play. Thirty-two matches will be contested Wednesday at Southern Hills, the tournament's official site. Players winning their first-round matches will have to play 36 holes to stay alive on Thursday. The quarterfinals are set for Friday, with the semifinals on Saturday and 36 holes of 1 vs. 1 match play set for Sunday to determine the champion.
The Golf Channel will have coverage of the event from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday and from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. NBC will cover the event from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT on Saturday and Sunday.
The U.S. Amateur began in 1895. Early notable champions were Francis Quimet in 1914 and 1931 and Robert Trent Jones on five occasions. The event was not played from 1942-45 because of World War II. The U.S. Amateur began an all-match play event from 1947-64. During that era, Arnold Palmer won in 1954 and Jack Nicklaus won in 1959 and 1961. This is the 50th anniversary of Nicklaus' first win.
The event went to all stroke play from 1965-72, then back to all match play from 1973-78. The current format combining stroke play and match play began in 1979. Notable champions during this era have been Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard and Tiger Woods (three times). The all-time low stroke play record for 36 holes is held by Hank Kim, who fired a 132 in 1994.
According to the USGA web site, setup for the U.S. Amateur will include fast greens (12 to 12.5 on the stimpmeter), green grass heights of .375 to .4 inches, intermediate rough of 1.5 to 1.75 inches and primary rough of 2.75 inches. Both courses are stern tests. Southern Hills has a course rating of 75.8 and a slope of 140 while Cedar Ridge has a rating of 76.6 and a slope of 138.
The field will include primarily Americans - many of which are college golfers - but a few international players are teeing it up as well. One of the favorites is Matt Hill, the N.C. State golfer who won seven college tournaments last season, including the Atlantic Coast Conference, NCAA Regional and NCAA National Championships, which was a trifecta only accomplished one other time in history…by Tiger Woods while he was at Stanford.
"It is unreal how many great players are out here," Harrison said. "Everywhere I look there are Oklahoma State bags and great players from other schools. It's awesome."
"Stephen has the ability to compete with anyone in the country," 13th-year Barton head coach John Hackney said. "He can make a lot of birdies, and that will be important in match play. He has a game plan intact to attack both courses on Monday and Tuesday, so if he can work his way into the field of 64, he can beat anybody. He has been playing really well this summer, and posting some low numbers, and that's what it will take to be the U.S. Amateur champ."
Posted by admin under Golf, Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Subscribe to Feed