 "Photo: Michelle Connolly")
After an excellent performance in its last outing, the University of Texas men's golf team seeks to continue their success tomorrow at the Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity.
The Big 12 Championship will consist of the 12 participating schools in the conference. Of those teams, only one, Oklahoma State, is ranked among the top 10 national programs, according to Golfweek. The Longhorns are ranked 38th.
In spite of their meager ranking, the 'Horns are the team to beat in the Big 12. Redshirt freshman Bobby Hudson took home medalist honors in last week's Morris Williams Intercollegiate. Due to both Holland and sophomore Charlie Holland's stellar play, the Longhorns claimed their first victory of the 2008 season.
Hudson recently received collegiate national player of the week honors from Golfweek magazine. In addition the recent success, the Longhorns were named the national collegiate team of the week as well.
In last year's Big 12 championship, senior Kevin Schultz, who was recently named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, led the Longhorns by tying for 11th with a 12-over 222.
The Horns took home the first of its three Big 12 Conference titles in 2002 after defeating Oklahoma State by a single stroke at the Prairie Dunes Country Club, site of the 2007 Big 12 Championship. The Longhorns continued in 2003, again topping Oklahoma State. Four strokes determined the Longhorns' victory at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Texas captured its third consecutive title in 2004 after beating Oklahoma by six strokes, also at Prairie Dunes. Jason Hartwick led the Texas sweep by taking medalist honors. Texas has earned 42 conference titles since its first Southwest Conference title in 1927. Texas has additionally won 36 individual conference titles.
In Friday's opening two rounds Texas will be paired with Baylor and Colorado. Teams will tee off at 8 a.m at Whispering Pines Golf Club. All 12 teams will play 18 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday, for a total of 72 holes. This weekend's competition is the first time in the event's history that it will have been played in a 72-hole layout.
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