After Strong Regular Season, Men's Golf Gears Up For Pac-10 Championships
April 19, 2000
UP NEXT: The Oregon State men's golf team vies for the Pacific-10 Conference Championship Apr. 24-26 in Tempe, Ariz.
TOURNAMENT: Arizona State hosts the 2000 Pacific-10 Conference Championships at the par 72 Karsten Golf Course. The 10 Pac-10 Universities will play four rounds in the tournament as opposed to the standard three rounds in regular season competition. The teams will play 36 holes on Monday, Apr. 24, and 18 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Teams will bring six players to the Championships, and will count five scores. Generally, in regular-season tournaments, teams will bring five players and count four scores.
STARTING SIX FOR PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Tim Mickelson (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) Shot 1-under 215 at Sun Devil Intercollegiate on Apr. 15-16 to finish tied for 20th ... 215 was second-lowest total of the year ... finished Western Intercollegiate on Apr. 3-4 at 3-over 213 to tie for 11th, good for second-best finish of the year ... 213 equaled season-low for three rounds ... shot 218 at Duck, tied for 15th playing unattached ... shot 69 three times this year ... finished fourth at Taylor Made Intercollegiate in February with 1-under 213 ... after 24 rounds is averaging 73.5 strokes, tying him with Anthony Arvidson for second on team.
John Lepak (So., La Habra Heights, Calif.) Last year at Pac-10s, shot 11-over par 291 at the par 70 Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash. to tie for 23rd ... shot 8-over 224 at Sun Devil on Apr. 15-16 ... tied for 23rd at Western Intercollegiate on Apr. 3-4, shooting 7-over 217 with a low round of 71 ... tied for eighth at Duck Inv. Mar. 21 ... finished second at Southwestern Invitational Feb. 28-29 ... Tied season-low with second-round 68 in SW ... fired three rounds of 68 so far ... leads team with 30 rounds and 72.9 average for the year ... five sub-par rounds this season ... has finished four of ten tournaments at even-par or better ... averages just 4.1 shots over par per tournament ... average finish of 22nd ... owns third-lowest three round total in school history with a 209 at 1998-99 Pacific Coast Intercollegiate.
Anthony Arvidson (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) Tied for 38th at Sun Devil tournament Apr. 15-16 with 4-over 220 ... has 10 rounds of even-par or better this season ... shot 9-over 219 to tie for 34th at Western Intercollegiate on Apr. 3-4 ... won the Duck Inv. Mar. 21 for the second time in his career ... has three career wins, two this year along with a second place ... averaging 73.5 strokes over 27 rounds ... low of 68 ... has broken par six times this season ... finished 38th or better in all but two of nine tournaments ... boasts second-round average of 72.4, lowest average of anyone on the team for any round ... shot even-par or better in five of nine second rounds, including three sub-par second rounds ... owns fourth lowest three round total in school history with a 210 at 1997-98 Duck Invitational, which he won ... owns a tie for the second and third-lowest scores in school history with a 66 and 67.
Dustin Wayne (Sr., Alameda, Calif.) Tied for 29th at Pac-10s last year with 14-over 294 ... finished at 10-over 226 at the Sun Devil ... tied for 34th at Western Intercollegiate on Apr. 3-4 shooting 9-over 219 ... shot 220 at the Duck in his first tournament since the fall, tying for 22nd ... five rounds under par so far ... shooting 74.2 after 18 rounds ... has two rounds of 67 in his career, tying him for third-lowest rounds in OSU history.
Eric Dahm: (Sr., Tualatin, Ore.) Tied for 29th at last year's Pac-10s with a 294 ... returned to the lineup after short stint on the injured list to shoot 18-over 234 at Sun Devil with 73 in second round ... averaging 72.6 strokes in second round ... Overall average of 74.5 through 20.5 rounds ... low round of 70 came in Northwest Classic where he placed ninth after shooting a 1-over 217 ... Career low of 67 at 1998-99 Pacific Invitational tied for third-lowest score in OSU history.
Bryan Geiberger: (Sr., Palm Desert, Calif.) Finished tied for 31st at Duck Invitational after shooting 6-over 222 ... had a season-low 69 in Southwestern Intercollegiate Feb. 28-29 ... Has three rounds under par this year ... best finish is 11th at Pepperdine Intercollegiate in the Fall ... averages 74.2 strokes over 18 rounds, tied for fourth-lowest average on team ... averages 73.1 strokes in the first round.
HEAD COACH MIKE KETCHAM ON THE TEAM: "I think we're where we want to be. We had an outstanding fall, certainly the best fall we've had since I've been here. We got off to a nice start in the spring and we were fighting complacency midway through the spring because we felt like we had pretty much wrapped up a bid for the Regional Championship. That's something we discussed in great lengths with the kids, and they're ready to play. A tournament of this magnitude will certainly increase the kids' whereabouts.
"Certainly, we were disappointed in our finish at Arizona State, but on a very positive note, I think the kids got a good feel for the golf course and are excited and anxious to get back down there and prove what they can do. I hope we got all of our bad shots out of the way before we go back down. We used it as a learning experience to get a feel for the golf course, so when we go back down, we'll be ready to contend for the Pac-10s. I know the kids feel good about themselves, they've had a great week of practice, and we're optimistic about our chances."
WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE: The Beavers got a preview of the Pac-10 Championships last week when they played in the Sun Devil Intercollegiate on the par 72 Karsten Golf Course, which is where the Pac-10s will be played. Here is what Ketcham had to say about the possible advantage for OSU:
"It's a big advantage, but there were nine other teams from the Pac-10 there as well. I know they're going to be feeling that they're going to improve on their performance from a week before. We need to be not only physically ready, but mentally ready as well. We have definitely seen that from the kids this week. I can tell they're anxious to get back down there."
"Bryan Geiberger have played that course over and over, so they feel good about going back. Anthony (Arvidson), John (Lepak), Dustin (Wayne) and Eric (Dahm) had not played that course before last week, and I know they have good feelings about it now, so they'll do a good job."
THE FIELD: Arizona State, ranked sixth nationally, will try to defend last year's conference championship on their home course, the Karsten Golf Course. Nine of the 10 Pac-10 teams are ranked nationally in the MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings top 50 as of Apr. 13. Only Washington State does not appear. Arizona (No. 12), Stanford (14), Washington (17), UCLA (25), Oregon (26), USC (28), Oregon State (35), and California (48) round out the field.
OREGON STATE AT THE PAC-10S: Oregon State's best finish at the Pacific-10 Championships was fourth place in 1994, when the Championship was held in Tucson, Ariz. Last year the Beavers were ninth, just one stroke back from Arizona. OSU played in the Pacific-8 prior to 1979, when Arizona and Ariaona State joined the conferece. Here is a look at how the Beavers have performed at the Pac-10/Pac-8 Championships, with year, finish, score and location:
1999- 9th/1464 (Seattle, Wash.), 1998- 8th/1483 (Orinda, Cal.), 1997- 8th/1487 (Eugene, Ore.), 1996- 5th/1485 (Newport Beach, Cal.) , 1995- 7th/1491 (Richland, Wash.), 1994- 4th/1477 (Tucson, Ariz.), 1993- 5th/1495 (Goleta, Cal.), 1992- 8th/1503 (Corvallis, Ore.), 1991- 10th/1526 (Stanford, Cal.), 1990- 8th/1513 (Tempe, Ariz.), 1989- 10th/1126 (Seattle, Wash.), 1988- 9th/1169 (Orinda, Cal.), 1987- 9th/1533 (Eugene, Ore.), 1986- 8th/1599 (Simi Valley, Cal.), 1985- 7th/1485 (Walla Walla, Wash.), 1984- 6th- 1448 (Tucson, Ariz.), 1983- 8th/1597 (Los Angeles, Cal.), 1982- 8th/1503 (Corvallis, Ore.), 1981- 8th/1578 (Stanford, Cal.), 1980- 9th/1246 (Seattle, Wash.), 1979- 9th/1240 (Phoenix, Ariz.), 1978- 7th/1305 (Los Angeles, Cal.), 1977- 3rd/1156 (North division, Spokane, Wash.), 1976- 3rd/1224 (North Division, Seattle, Wash.), 1975- 4th/1224 (Eugene, Ore.), 1974- 5th/1216 (Stanford, Cal.), 1973- 3rd/1134 (Clarkston, Wash.), 1972- 8th/1224 (Whittier, Cal.), 1971- 6th/1228 (Eugene, Ore.), 1970- 5th/1196 (El Cerrito, Cal.), 1969- 5th/1213 (Seattle, Wash.), 1968- 5th/1245 (Los Angeles, Cal.), 1967- 3rd/1173 (Corvallis, Ore.), 1966- 5th/1257 (Stanford, Cal.), 1965- 6th/1244 (Indian Wells, Cal.).
LAST YEAR: Arizona State won the Pac-10 Championship for the fifth year in a row, and has eight conference championships since 1989. Paul Casey won his second straight individual conference championship by posting the lowest 72-hole individual total in Pac-10 Championship history with a 15-under 265 at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle. Casey, now a junior, fired a 60 in the final round last year to shatter the record for the lowest single-round score in Pac-10 Championship history. Here is how the teams fared last year:
1. Arizona State, 1403 (lowest 72-hole team total in Pac-10 Championship history)
2. UCLA, 1424
3. Oregon, 1427
4. Washington, 1440
5. California, 1441
6. Southern California, 1450
7. Stanford, 1454
8. Arizona, 1463
9. Oregon State, 1464
10. Washington State, 1501
LAST ACTION: Tim Mickelson shot a 1-under 215 to tie for 20th at the Sun Devil Intercollegiate at the par 72 Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. OSU tied for 10th, shooting 880.
OREGON STATE IN THE RANKINGS: Oregon State slipped to No. 35 in the Apr. 19 MasterCard Collegiate Golf Rankings. OSU was 25th in the previous poll, but dropped after a 10th place showing at the recent ASU Sun Devil Intercollegiate. Sophomore John Lepak held on to the No. 56 spot, and joining him in the top 100 are junior Anthony Arvidson at 67th, and senior Tim Mickelson at 94th.
In the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, the Beavers are 30th, while Lepak is 70th individually and Arvidson comes in at 136th.
PAC-10 CONFERENCE INDIVIDUALS IN THE RANKINGS: Paul Casey of Arizona State leads the way at No. 6, Derek Gillespie of Arizona follows at No. 20, Ricky Barnes of Arizona No. 22, and Matt Jones of Arizona State at No. 24 round out the Pac-10 players in the top 25.
AT A GLANCE: A look at individual scoring averages, with rounds played in parentheses, best finish, and low round for the year so far:
Anthony Arvidson, 73.5 (27), 1st (Northwest Classic, Duck Invitational), 68
David Crowell (No longer on team), 75.5 (6), T21st (Pacific Invitational), 72
Eric Dahm, 74.5 (20.5), T7th (Pilot Spring Invitational), 70
Todd Deacon, 75.7 (11.5), T7th (Pilot Spring Invitational), 72
Sean Deacon, has not played.
Chance Holmes, 76.0 (11.5), 20th (Pilot Spring Invitational), 71 (twice)
Kyle Hudson, 74.4 (20.5), 1st (Pilot Spring Invitational), 66
Bryan Geiberger, 74.2 (18), T11th (Pepperdine Inv.), 69
Daren Grieg, has not played.
Brodie Jordan (no longer on team), 74.6 (3), T25th (NW Classic), 72
John Lepak, 72.9 (30), 2nd (Southwestern), 68 (three times)
Tim Mickelson, 73.5 (24), T4th (Taylor Made), 69 (three times)
David Stypula, has not played.
Dustin Wayne, 74.2 (18), T10th (NW Classic), 70 (two times)
COACHING STAFF: Mike Ketcham is in his fourth year as the director of the men's golf program, and he continues to build Oregon State into a national power.
Ketcham has put together one of the deepest teams in Oregon State history this year. His teams continue to experience success, as a result of expert teaching of the game's fundamentals, national recruiting, and effective communication.
Ketcham arrived in Corvallis after spending five years at San Jose State University. While heading up the Spartan program, the team made three appearances in the NCAA West Regionals and qualified for one NCAA Tournament. The program was ranked consistently in the top 25 during his tenure, and he was selected the Big West Conference Coach of the Year once.
The Ottumwa, Iowa native started his coaching career as the mentor of the Scottsdale Community college program in Arizona. He led the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship both years (1993, '94) he was associated with the school. He was named the NJCAA Coach of the Year both seasons, and coachedeight NJCAA All-Americans. His teams compiled an 84-1 conference record over the two years.
Ketcham was a NJCAA All-american in 1985 at Odessa Junior College in Texas before beginning a two-year career at Arkansas. Ketcham played professionally on the U.S. Golf Tour, Asian Tour, and the Canadian Tour, in addition to going through the PGA Tour Qualifying school twice.
Brian Watts returned to Oregon State this year after five years in private business. Watts coached at OSU as an assistant during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. After playing on the Golden State Tour, Florida State Tour and the Canadian PGA Tour for four years, he brings back tremendous experience to the OSU program. He also worked as an assistant professional at the DeBell Golf Course in Burbank, Calif., and at Golf Classics of America in Beverly Hills and San Dimas.
Watts graduated from Western Oregon University in 1989 with a bachelor of science in physical education. He also attended Oregon State.
