USD Golf 1999-2000

Previewing the 1999-2000 Torero Golf Season

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The 1999-2000 Uni versity of San Diego Golf Team, under the directi on of 14th year coach Frank Cates, returns seven pl ayers from last year's squad that won its own USO Invitati onal in March, placed second at two other tournament s (Point Loma Inv itati onal & Gra nd Canyon Thunderbird Invitati onal), and fini shed ra nked sixteenth in the West Region. Th is year' s squad will be shooting fo r a spot in the 2000 NCAA Di vision I Reg ional Tournament to be he ld May 18-20 in Fresno, Cali fo rni a at the Ri verbend Golf Course. Heading the li st of returne rs is seni or captain Patrick Hawkins (Dall as, TX), a two-time West Coas t Conference First Team se lecti on, and two-time WCC All- Academi c Team pick. Las t season he fini shed with a 74.47 stroke average fo r 3 1 rounds, and hi s season was hi ghli ghted by hi s first pl ace fini sh at the 1999 USO In vitational. He also earned top-ten fini shes with hi s 3rd place showing at the Falcon Invitational in September, and hi s I0th place fini sh at the Po int Loma Invitati onal. Additi on– all y, Patri ck was chosen out of 375 USO student- athl etes as the uni versity's 1999 NCAA Outstanding Sportsperson of the Year nominee. Two seasons ago he won medali st honors at the 1998 West Coas t Confere nce Champi onship . Returners expected to play key roles in spring tournaments incl ude seni or Jeppe Nielsen (Oslo, Norway), juni ors Ryan Hanratty (Pl ano, Texas) and Jason Gross (San C lemente, Cali fo rni a), and

Frank Cates

Head Coach - 14th Year sophomore Cullen Brasfield (Reno, Nevada). Nielsen j oins Hawkins as the onl y two seni ors on thi s year's squad; the Norweg ian has worked hard on hi s game and is ready to make a move into more consistent rounds. Hanratty prov ides the team with outstanding consistency and is ex pected to be in every tournament line-up. Thi s past fall he placed fo urth at the Santa C lara Invitational, and last March ti ed fo r second at the USO Inv itational. Gross re– turns for hi s second season after transferring into USO mid-year in 1999; he averaged 75 .27 over his 11 rounds. He posted a top-ten fini sh at the Grand Canyon/Thunderbird Invitat ional where he pl aced 9th . Brasfi eld was USD' s most consistent newcomer in 1999, and has pl ayed soli d go lf thi s season. Thi s past fall he tied fo r 2nd at the Real Del Mar C lass ic in October; fini shed 6th at the Santa Clara Invitati onal; and tied fo r 2nd place in the Nevada State Amateur Champi onship in Jul y. Round ing ou t the returners will be sophomores Berry Henson (La Qui nta, Cali– fornia) and Andy Brisbois (La Canada, Californi a). Last spring Henson placed fo urth in USD's Invitational, and backed that up wi th a 7th place fi nish a the Grand Canyon/ Thunderb ird Invitational. Coach Cates brought in five fres hmen thi s season for the Torero golf program. Early ind icati ons look promi sing -- David Isaacson, from North Oaks, Minnesota, is the state's two-time hi gh school champion. He cracked the starting line-up twice dur–

ing the recent fall schedule. Adding depth to the Torero line-up will be Andrew Zimmerman (Layton, Utah), a four-year MVP at Northridge High School ; Brad Sader (Brea, California), a CIF Qualifier and Orange League individual champion from Brea Olinda High School; Ryan Dwight (Rancho Santa Margarita, California), a two -sport lette rw inner at Santa Margarita Catho li c Hi gh School, and Daniel Brantestrom

Junior Ryan Hanratty

(Galve, Sweden), who brings some inte rnational experience wi th hi m.

The University of San Diego part icipates in NCAA Division I and is a member of the West Coas t Confe rence (WCC). The conference champi onship will be pl ayed at Windsor Go lf C lub in Windsor, Cali forni a on April 17-1 8. The USO Invitati onal w ill be hosted by the Toreros at Shadowri dge Country C lub in Vi sta, Cali fo rni a on March 20- 2 1, 2000. Other spring tournament s include the 49er Coll e– giate C lass ic (Virgini a Country C lub in Long Beach, CA), the Pac ifi c Coast Intercolleg iate (La Puri si ma Golf C lub in Lompoc, CA), the Kauai Coll eg iate Cup (Princev ille Resort in Kauai, HI ), the UC Irvine Anteater Invitati onal (Coto de Caza North Course in Coto de Caza, CA), and the Grand Canyon/Thunde rbird Invitati onal (Palm Vall ey Go lf Course in Phoenix , AZ). Bes ides USO, the West Coast Conference (WCC) consists of: Gonzaga Uni versity (Spo– kane, WA), Loyo la Marymount Uni ve rsity (Los Ange les, CA), Peppe rdine Uni versity (Malibu , CA), Uni versity of Portl and (Portl and , OR), Saint Mary 's Coll ege (Moraga, CA), Unive rsity of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) and Santa Cl ara Uni versity (Santa C lara, CA). Peppedine Uni versity will be de fending the WCC Golf Championship in 2000. 1999-2000 University of San Diego Toreros Men's Golf Media Guide

Junior Jason Gross