Golf wins Edward Jones Shootout and places second in UAA championship

The Carnegie Mellon men’s varsity golf team finished in second place this past Tuesday at the 2008 University Athletic Association (UAA) Golf championships in Orlando, Fla. The Tartans received a combined score of 615 over two rounds, coming in 24 strokes behind the UAA champions, Emory University.

Individually, both sophomore Christopher Lee and junior Alex Timmons finished the two-day tournament in the top 10. Lee shot a 74 in both rounds to finish with a combined score of 148, and a tie for fifth place. His excellent performance also secured him a spot on the All-Association First Team.

Timmons ended with a combined score of 153, including an even par during the second round of play. His ninth-place finish was enough to make the All-Association Second Team, along with Tartan teammates senior Howard Smith and junior Joshua Chen.

Carnegie Mellon also hosted the Edward Jones Shootout this past Saturday and Sunday of Carnival weekend. The Shootout, which took place at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo, Pa., ended in a first-place finish for the Tartans. Washington & Jefferson College, University of Rochester, Penn State–Behrend, and La Roche College competed in the Shootout.

After the first round of play, Carnegie Mellon found itself in second place with a score of 307, just four strokes behind the leader, the W&J Presidents. Despite the fact that the Tartans shot a season-low round of 289, the second round of play enabled the Tartans to overcome the Presidents by 16 strokes, carding a season-low two-day team total of 597.

Great individual play allowed four Tartans to place in the top five: Chen, Lee, and Smith to place in first, second, and third places with total scores of 148 (77–71), 148 (77–71), and 149 (78–71), respectively. Although Chen and Lee shot identical scores for both days, Chen was named the playoff winner after a tiebreaker. Timmons also had another banner day and captured a fourth top-five finish, carding a two-day total of 151 (75–76).

The golf team will conclude its season this Sunday and Monday when it competes in the Peter Rossin Memorial Tournament. The event will be held at Southpointe Country Club in Canonsburg, Pa. with rounds beginning at noon.