Fresno State Athletics
Golf Completes Season
5/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 29, 2003
Bulldogs finish 18th at NCAA West Regional
The Fresno State golf team completed its season with an 18th place finish in the 27-team field of the NCAA West Regional in Seattle, Wa. UCLA captured first place with an even-par. This was Fresno State's 27th appearance at the NCAA's and the 23rd under head coach Mike Watney. The top 10 teams qualified to compete in the NCAA Championship, as well as the top two individuals not on those teams. The Bulldogs that competed were freshman Ryan McDonald who led the 'Dogs with a tie for 36th with a score of 222 (74-73-75), senior Nick Watney tied for 56th with 224 (76-78-70) failing him to qualify for the NCAA Championships as an individual. Sophomore Ryan Carter tied for 70th with 227(76-75-79), junior Chad Spencer tied for 98th with 232 (76-77-79) and sophomore George McKean tied for 131st with 245 (82-80-83).
Bulldogs Make 27th NCAA Appearance
The Fresno State golf team is making its 27th NCAA appearance and 23rd under head coach Mike Watney. The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee selected three 27-team regional fields (East, Central and West) for the 106th NCAA Championship last Monday. Fresno State along with SMU, UTEP and Tulsa will represent the WAC in the tournament. The Bulldogs earned the league's automatic bid and will compete in the West Regional after capturing the WAC title two weeks ago in Houston. The NCAA Championship will be conducted May 27-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma (Oklahoma State, host).
NCAA Appearances
Since 1977, the Bulldogs have been almost an automatic in qualifier for the NCAA Golf Championships. Fresno State has qualified for NCAA West Regional all 15 years. In Fresno State's head golf coach Mike Watney's 26 years, Fresno State has appeared in 23 tournaments. Their finest finish came in 1990 when the Bulldogs placed fifth in the country. Other Top 10 finishes include 1980 (No. 10) and 1987 (No. 9). In 2000 the Bulldogs placed 13th, while last year the 'Dogs finished 21st.
Head Coach Mike Watney
During the past two decades at Fresno State, Watney has tutored 28 All-Americans. His squads have captured 12 conference championships, including nine of the past 17. The Bulldogs won six consecutive Big West titles from 1986 through 1991. His teams have qualified for the NCAA Championships 23 times in the past 26 years of his career, including a 13th place finish in 2000. One of his finest seasons was in 1987 when his Bulldog squad was named the Jones Sport Co. Most Improved Team in the Nation after finishing the season ranked third in the nation and placing ninth at the NCAA Championships. He is also recognized internationally, serving as a laision between Japanese and U.S. Golf. Every year, Watney takes six U.S. collegiate teams to Japan to compete in the Topy Cup. Watney is also respected for his numerous coaching honors. In 2003 and in 2000 Watney earned Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year. In 2002, he was named Southwest Region Coach of the Year. In 1995-96, Watney was named Co-WAC Coach of the Year and he earned Big West Coach of the Year in the 1980's six times. He was also named NCAA District VIII Coach of the Year for the first time in 1987.
Three in a Row?
Senior Nick Watney (Dixon, Calif.) made a trifecta when the 2002-03 season wrapped up. Watney holds the program's top all-time lowest season average-per-round. With a season stroke average of 69.88, while also being the first Bulldog to finish with a sub-70 season. Watney recently was named WAC Golfer of the Year for his third straight year.
Year in Review
In the fall, Fresno State completed six tournaments while capturing two championship titles, the Fresno State-Lexus Classic and the Alister MacKenzie. The Bulldogs also garnered two top 10 finishes. Senior Nick Watney captured four consecutive individual titles, the Topy Cup, Inverness Intercollegiate, Fresno State-Lexus Classic and the Alister MacKenzie tournament. In the spring, Fresno State finished its season with a bang. Watney captured his fifth individual title with a 199 at the Bite/Pacific Coast Intercollegiate. Watney broke the 27 year course record with his 199 finish. After completing the final seven tournaments, the 'Dogs traveled to Houston to compete in the WAC Championship and they captured the title with a final score of 862. Three strokes above second place Tulsa (865). Watney finished second with 208 (73-66-69)(4-4-5) after a sudden death match with Tulsa's David Inglis (68-69-71=208)(4-4-4). The Bulldogs made their 27th appearance at the NCAA West Regional in Seattle, Wash. The team finished 18th out of the 27-team field. Freshman Ryan McDonald led the 'Dogs with a tie for 36th with 222 (74-73-75). Watney tied for 56th with 224 (76-78-70). The Bulldogs did not qualify to go to the 2003 NCAA Finals in Oklahoma.
Watney Regains No. 1 Spot
After a strong performance at the 2003 WAC Championships, senior golfer Nick Watney returned to the top spot of the national Golfstat Cup rankings. Watney spent last week ranked third behind Oklahoma State's Hunter Mahan (No.1) and Clemson's D.J. Trahan (No. 2). Overlooked as a Ben Hogan Top 5 finalist, Watney has spent more weeks ranked No. 1 than any other player. He has been ranked in the top five all season long. After a sudden death match with Tulsa's David Inglis, Watney finished second at the WAC championship at The Colonial in Houston, Texas. His second round of 66 tied the competitive course record. He is on pace to break the NCAA single-season scoring average record, and in the process become only the sixth player in NCAA history with a sub-70 season scoring average. He is currently at 69.88, the only player in the nation with a sub-70 scoring average. Watney has five tournament wins in 2002-03, most of any player in the nation, and he shattered the Bite/Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Tournament record with a 67-64-68 -- 199. Other accomplishments during this season include six straight sub-70 rounds, a stretch of eight of 11 sub-70 competitive tournament rounds, and 10 top-10 finishes. Watney, who led the Bulldogs to their second WAC title in four years, was selected the 2003 WAC Player of the Year for the third straight season, becoming the first player in WAC history to win that award three times.
Other Top Bulldogs
Junior Chad Spencer proved to be a major asset for this year's team. Spencer earned WAC Player of the Week for April 21, when he tied at the U.S. Intercollegiate, hosted by Stanford, with a 211 (70-64-77). The second round 64, was one stroke shy of the course record, 63. Spencer also earned Most Outstanding Improved Player for the Bulldogs and also earned Second Team All-WAC. Spencer's season stroke average is 74.52. Freshman Ryan McDonald has made sure his name is known on the golf course. Earning the Bulldog's Most Outstanding Freshman, Ryan has competed in 11 tournaments, including the WAC Championship in his first year. His season stroke average is 74.77.
Bulldogs Capture Third WAC Title
The Fresno State golf team finished first out of the 10-team tournament field at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship last week in Houston with a final score of 862. The Bulldogs were three strokes better than second place, Tulsa (865) and six better than UTEP (868). Individually, senior Nick Watney came in second with (73-66-69=208)(4-4-5) after a sudden death match with Tulsa's David Inglis (68-69-71=208)(4-4-4). Watney also earned First Team All-WAC and his third straight WAC Player of the Year award. Junior Chad Spencer came in third with 211 (72-70-69). Spencer garnered Second Team All-WAC honors. Freshman Ryan McDonald tied for 22nd with 223 (73-71-79), sophomore Ryan Carter tied for 32nd with 225 (74-72-79) and Jeremy Moreno finished 43rd with 234 (81-79-74).
Bulldogs Garner All-WAC Honors
Watney picked up First Team All-Western Athletic Conference honors for the second straight year and was named WAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. He becomes the first golfer in WAC history to garner the award three times. In addition, junior Chad Spencer was selected All-WAC after being named second team. This was Spencer's first all-league award. Head coach Mike Watney was named WAC Coach of the Year for the third time, eight times overall, after being selected in 2000 and 1996. Watney brought the Bulldogs into WAC Championship play with the 19th-best strokes-per-round average (288.75), according to Golfstat.
