Men’s golf moves up on ratings chart
By Nick Quijano
Skiff Staff

The men’s golf team moved up two spots in this week’s 2003-2004 Golfweek/Sagarin college golf ratings chart following a third place finish at the Gary Koch Tournament in Tampa, Fla. The Frogs are now the nation’s No. 6 team.

In a tournament where TCU competed against some of the nation’s elite teams, including No. 1 ranked Florida and No. 5 ranked Georgia Tech, the Frogs cemented their claim as one of the strongest golf programs.

The tournament saw the maturation of sophomore Jeff Marcinowski, who made his collegiate career debut. Marcinsowski opened the tournament with a first round score of 80 and shot a 71 in the second round. He finished with a three round score of 228 (+12).

Head coach Bill Montigel said Marcinowski’s great work ethic helped him perform well in his collegiate debut, despite the overwhelming pressure of the situation.

“We’re very excited with Jeff,” Montigel said. “He’s worked very hard and he’s helped us out a lot.”

Senior Adam Meyer, who tied for third place with a three round score of 209 (-6), finished only four strokes behind Florida’s Matt Every, the tournament champion. With a three-round total of six under par, Meyer holds the best finish by the team this season.

“I made two mistakes that could have cost me, but I can’t complain,” Meyer said. “I’m going to learn things from it.”

Sophomore Colby Beckstrom continued his impressive play this fall with an eighth place finish, his second top 10 finish this season. Beckstrom, who entered the tournament as the Golfweek/Sagarin 10th rated collegiate golfer, shot a three round total of 212 (-3). In three tournaments this fall, he has placed fifth, eighth and 11th.

Although Beckstrom was happy with the team’s performance in Florida, he said the team already has its sights set on beating No. 1 ranked Florida next spring.

“I don’t know if Florida is the best, but we haven’t beaten them yet,” Beckstrom said.

The Frogs will bring their No. 6 ranking into Palm Springs, Calif., at The Prestige Monday, where the first and second rounds of tournament will be played. The final round of the tournament is Tuesday.