March 6, 2008

THIS WEEK:
The University of Utah golf team will make its second trip of the season to San Diego to compete in the Farms Collegiate, hosted by UC San Diego. The tournament will be held March 11-12 and will feature 16 schools and 80 players. The 54-hole event features 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday. Golfers will compete at the Farms Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

The Utah lineup for the Farms Collegiate will include Nic Larson, Dustin Pimm, Steve Broker, Chance Cota and Chris Gresh. The Farms Collegiate replaces the Braveheart Classic on the Utes' 2008 schedule. In 2007, Utah finished third at the Braveheart Classic in Beaumont, Calif.

THE FIELD:
The field this week includes Arkansas, Campbell, Colorado State, College of Charleston, Purdue, San Jose State, Saint Mary's, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Texas-Arlington, Utah, Wichita State and Western Carolina. San Diego State is the defending team champion, and Louie Bishop of UC Davis is the defending medalist. The field features six California institutions, including schools from North Carolina, South Carolina and Kansas. The Big 12, Mountain West and West Coast conferences will be represented, among others.

BLUE HAWAII:
Utah struggled in its second spring tournament, carding rounds of 291, 297 and 287 to finish tied for 20th place at 11-over. Nic Larson led the team, finishing at two-over par and tied for 65th. Dustin Pimm wasn't far behind, carding rounds of 69, 80 and 72 to finish tied for 85th at five-over. It was the Utes' worst finish of the season, as the team had finished in the top 10 in each of its previous six events. Coach Randall McCracken pointed to a lack of practice opportunities for the team due to wintry local conditions.

UTE NOTES:
Utah makes its second trip to San Diego this season. During the fall campaign Utah competed in Sycuan Cup as high winds and wildfires raged nearby ... Chance Cota continues to fill the roster spot for injured Ute senior Nick Carter. Carter is suffering from torn cartilage in his rib cage, and his return to action is listed as day-to-day.

2007-08 UTE GOLF STATS:
PLAYER	        ROUNDS 	STROKE AVERAGE	 TOP FINISH
Steve Broker	19	74.68	            T15
Nick Carter	8	73.00	            T8
Chance Cota	13	74.08	            T11
Chris Gresh	19	74.62	            T6
Nic Larson	19 	73.58	            4
Dustin Pimm	19	73.68	            T4