Colorado State University Athletics
Men's golf departs for Mountain West Conference Championships
4/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 22, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Line of play: Mountain West Conference Championship
Colorado State will tee off against the Mountain West Conference teams at the MWC Championship, Thursday through Saturday, in Tucson, Ariz.
The tournament features 54 holes, 18 each day, on the Catalina Course, a 7,136-yard, par-71 course, at the Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa. All rounds begin at 7 a.m. PT.
Colorado State is in Group 2 of the first-round pairings with BYU and Utah. Group 1 consists of TCU, San Diego State and UNLV. Group 3 includes Wyoming, Air Force and New Mexico. All groups will begin on the first tee, with Group 1 teeing off first, followed by Group 2 and Group 3. Round 2 and 3 Groups will be decided based on result.
Riley Arp, Zen Brown, Bryce Hanstad, Sean McNamara and Dustin Morris will compete for the Rams.
Live hole-by-hole scoring of the 2008 championship will be available at the MWC Golf Championship page at www.TheMWC.com.
Through the green: Championship facts
• This is the second time the championship will be held at the Catalina Course at Tucson National. The championship was held there in 2007 when BYU took home the team title and Robby Ormand of TCU and Adam Porzak of San Diego State tied to clinch individual honors.
• Of the five golfers set to compete for the Rams, three have played at the championship and on the Catalina Course before: Brown, Hanstad and Morris.
• The Catalina Course was selected as one of Golf Digest's "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America." It has served as host to over 30 PGA Tour events and features eight lakes and 80 bunkers. The 18th hole is considered to be one of the most challenging finishing holes of the PGA Tour.
• Former CSU standout Martin Laird, who is now a member of the PGA Tour, holds four MWC Championship records. Laird scored the lowest single- and first-round total in 2004, shooting 64. In 2003, Laird recorded a total of 136 after 36 holes to achieve the lowest 36-hole total, a record he shares with three other individuals. Laird also holds the record with one other individual for largest winning margin, 3, which he achieved in 2002.
• This year marks the ninth appearance at the championship for Colorado State. The highest tournament finish for the Rams is third, while the lowest finish is sixth.
• This season, the Rams have faced five of the eight MWC teams they will compete against at the championship: San Diego State, Wyoming, Air Force, New Mexico and Utah.
• Hanstad is currently ranked highest for the Rams on the MWC individual leader board based on stroke average. Hanstad holds eighth place with an average of 72.43 behind five players from UNLV and two from San Diego State. Morris holds one spot behind Hanstad in ninth with an average of 72.57.
Finishing hole: ASU Thunderbird Invitational
The Colorado State men's golf team tied for a third-place finish with Texas A&M after three days of play at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. The finish marked the end of the Rams' regular-season play.
Fort Collins native Riley Arp birdied two holes in the final round to secure a tie for third, 1-under-par (70-70-72 - 212). The finish marked Arp's collegiate season and all-time high tournament finish.
Dustin Morris finished in a tie for 16th, 3-over-par (71-73-72 - 216). Morris was tied for 21st after two rounds but came back to shoot four birdies in the final round to secure the finish.
Zen Brown held second place after two rounds but finished in a tie for 28th, 5-over-par (68-69-81 - 218). Brown shot even par on the majority of the final-round holes, but carded seven bogies.
Bryce Hanstad finished in a tie for 46th, 9-over-par (71-77-74 - 222). Sean McNamara tied for 76th (81-76-73 - 230).
Arizona State took home the team title for the first time since 2004. Espen Kofstad of Denver University earned individual honors.
