TUCSON, Ariz.-- The UNM men's golf team began the 2003 spring season Feb. 3-4 with a promising, though uneven performance at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz.
The Lobos showed intermittent flashes of brilliance at the 6,785 yard, par-71 Arizona National Golf Club, eventually finishing at 4-under-par 848, in a tie for sixth with Arizona State University.
Tournament host University of Arizona kept the PING trophy in to Tucson with a 23-under 829, edging second round leader UCLA by two strokes. Pepperdine finished third at 840, with Southern Cal (843) and Wake Forest (846) rounding out the top five.
A one-hour frost delay pushed back the start of Monday's 36-hole marathon, which featured a "shotgun start," with play beginning from each of the 18 holes. Despite drawing holes five through eight, some of the easiest on the course, the Lobos opening nine matched the morning temperatures.
New Mexico: 9-over-par, read the leaderboard in the early going.
"If you don't take advantage of the easy holes, you can compound those mistakes once you get to the meat of the golf course," head coach Glen Millican said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
There was no such compounding for the Lobos, however. They battled back, completing the opening frame with a 3-over-par 287, thanks in part to 1-under-par rounds of 70 from sophomore Jay Reynolds and senior Michael Letzig. Both overcame early bogeys to finish in red numbers.
Building on their late morning success, the Lobos climbed steadily up the leaderboard in round two, reaching 3-under-par as a team at one point, good for a tie for fifth midway through the round.
But as the sun began to sink in the Sonoran, so did the Lobos hopes of winning the tournament. Letzig made a couple of late bogeys, finishing the second round with a 1-under 70 and a 36-hole total of 140.
Sophomore Madalisto Muthiya and Reynolds also dropped shots on the way in, finishing with second-round scores of 69 and 73 respectively.
"I hit a perfect drive on number five (his last hole)," Reynolds said. "I'm standing there 210 yards out with a 4-iron in my hand and just dead chunked it in the water."
Junior Ian Medlock tossed in matching even-par 71's on Monday, helping the Lobos hold their ground.
"It was okay today, I guess," Medlock said. He added that he expected better things in round three.
The Lobos finished Monday with a 36-hole total of 570, 19 shots off the pace, in a tenth place tie.
Poor finishes aside, Millican was hopeful heading into Tuesday's play.
"We caught fire in the middle of the day, which was exactly what I was looking for," Millican said. "We didn't really finish it off, but we play 54 holes for a reason and I'm glad we do."
So was his team.
The Lobos came roaring back in the final round, firing a 6-under-par 278.
Reynolds was forced to withdraw Tuesday with a recurring back injury, after completing only four holes.
The pullout left the Lobos with only four players and without the option of throwing out a poor round.
They responded. Medlock made good on his promise, carding a 1-under 70, while Muthiya held steady with a 71. Recent transfer Derek Abel rebounded from a day-one disaster, matching Muthiya.
Enter Michael Letzig. Starting the day six shots back of Texas El Paso's Chris Baryla, with whom he was paired, Letzig blitzed the National with a sparkling 66, matching the day's low round.
Starting at the ninth, Letzig made his lone bogey of the day at the very next hole, after he played mistake-free golf.
"I finally made some putts today."
He followed that with birdies on three of his next four, holing putts of 10, three and 15 feet respectively.
After a birdie at the third, another at the fifth and a bogey by Baryla at the sixth, Letzig had pulled to within two of the lead in the individual race.
But Baryla sealed the deal at the seventh, knocking down a 12-footer for birdie and ending Letzig's run.
Baryla finished the tournament at 10-under-par 274, good for a one-shot victory over Arizona's Chris Nallen. Reigning U.S. Amateur champ and Wildcat No. 1 Ricky Barnes, Wake Forest's Bill Haas and UCLA standout Roy Moon finished one further back in a tie for third.
Letzig's 7-under 277 earned him a tie for sixth and loads of confidence for the remainder of the season.
"I hit it good enough all three days to win," Letzig said. "The putter just let me down yesterday. Coming in here, I just wanted to shoot under-par all three days. I wasn't confident. I thought I was rusty."
Millican said that his team's gritty final-round bodes well for future events.
"They came back really well today, especially with only four playing," Millican said, adding that the Lobos proved that they can compete with anybody.
