The UNM men's golf team may have struggled to a 26th-place finish at last week's NCAA Championships, but it displayed the same steady play it had throughout the season.
The Lobos never moved into the top 20 during the tournament, played May 29 through June 1 in Columbus, Ohio. After two days UNM was in 29th place, but rebounded to finish with a final score of 1,170, 34 shots over par.
Head coach Glen Millican said the team played well, but could not convert birdie opportunities.
"We just didn't take advantage of holes that we needed to," Millican said. "The one thing (the players) did great was that they played as hard as they could, which was nice to see. They kept their composure and didn't get too frustrated. They just didn't shoot the scores they needed to."
The Lobos' steadiness helped them win three tournaments, including an NCAA West Regional co-championship with the University of Washington and their first William H. Tucker Invitational title since 1992. Both wins came on UNM's home course, the UNM Championship Golf Course. The Lobos also won the Adams Cup in Newport, R.I. Along the way senior Scott Hailes earned honorable mention All-America honors.
Hailes personified UNM's consistent play with a 72.19 scoring average, which was the fourth lowest average in school history. The senior had five straight top-10 finishes prior to the NCAA Championships and led the Lobos with 21 rounds at par or better and 13 rounds at 70 or lower. He also earned the Mountain West Conference player of the month award for April.
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Millican said the only thing missing from Hailes' season was a victory - an accomplishment that would likely have earned him second-team All-America status.
"He had one of the most consistent years of anybody I've seen," Millican said. "It was nice to see how his hard work paid off. He got back a little bit of what he deserved."
The one Lobo to earn a victory was Wil Collins, who tied with Vanderbilt University's Mark Donnell for first at the Adams Cup in October. He also finished in second-place at UNM's Tucker Invite and finished 10th at the John Burns Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.
UNM also received a boost from freshman Madalisto Muthiya, who played his way into the Lobos' rotation in the final month and went on to a 10th-place finish in the Mountain West Championships. He then finished in a tie for 23rd in the West Regional, shooting a three-over-par score of 216.
Millican said Muthiya had to overcome the transition to college life to play as well as he did.
"Once he got pretty comfortable, he started to play the golf he had before he came here," Millican said.
UNM loses Collins and Hailes to graduation, but a large group of freshmen and sophomores return next year.
Millican said the Lobos should be competitive next year, but patience will be a key because of the number of young players on the squad. He said what the players lack in experience they will make up for in aggressiveness and enthusiasm.
"Our guys will give a good effort," Millican said. "Hopefully, through the course of the year, we can teach the guys how to limit their mistakes and be good next year."
by James Barron
Daily Lobo
