FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Sept. 19, 2017) – Led by junior John Murdock once again, the University of Wyoming men's golf team continued its torrid start to the 2017-18 season with a third-place finish in the 19-team field at the Ram Masters Invitational on Tuesday. Murdock backed up his season-opening win at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational with a second-place finish in the field of 104 golfers at the Fort Collins Country Club, shooting 70 (E) on Tuesday and totaling a three-round score of 204 (-6). Senior Drew McCullough recorded his second consecutive top-10 finish, shooting 72 (+2) on Tuesday to tie for sixth at 208 (-2). The Cowboys posted a third-round score of 284 (+4) for a tournament total of 847 (+7).
"The whole tournament was a total team effort," said UW head coach Joe Jensen. "We hung in there and it was close late. We had a good finish and a really good tournament with some quality wins against good teams."
Murdock sandwiched three pars in between bogies on his first and fifth holes of the day, but added birdies on holes No. 7 and 12 to pull even with six holes remaining. He bogeyed again on No. 13 before adding a final birdie on the 15th hole to finish with an even 70. Murdock finished three strokes back of individual champion Francois Lagraulet of UMKC, who posted a total score of 201 (-9). Through two tournaments this season, Murdock holds an extremely impressive scoring average of 67.7 strokes per round.
McCullough battled through Tuesday's round as well, hovering around even par throughout the day before finishing at 72 (+2). The Cowboy senior and 2014 Ram Masters Invitational champion collected his fourth consecutive top-20 finish at the tournament, as his opening-round 64 (-6) proved to be his best of the tourney. After shooting 208 (-2) for the tournament, McCullough also holds a spectacular stroke average of 69.3 so far this season and has finished in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard in both of the Cowboys' tournaments.
Senior Glenn Workman saved his best round for last, shooting 70 (E) on Tuesday to finish in a tie for 31st place with a three-round score of 217 (+7). Workman stayed tough throughout Tuesday's round, balancing five bogies with five birdies to move steadily up the leaderboard. Fellow senior Arron Lickteig also moved up the leaderboard during the final round of play, going three-under par on the front nine on his way to a 72 (+2). Lickteig moved into a tie for 51st with a tournament score of 221 (+11), up 11 spots from his position after Monday's 36 holes. Senior Quintin Pope finished just one stroke and three spots back of Lickteig, carding a final-round 75 (+5) for a total of 222 (+12).
Freshman Carl Underwood, playing as an individual, had the best round of his young career on Tuesday as he shot an even 70 to bolt up the leaderboard. Sitting in a tie for 88th place following Monday's 36 holes, Underwood gained 29 spots on the individual leaderboard to tie for 59th at 223 (+13). Host Colorado State ran away with the team victory, posting a total score of 823 (-17) for the win. UMKC was second at 842 (+2), while the Cowboys edged TCU by one stroke for third place. Sam Houston State rounded out the top five in the team standings with a total score of 856 (+16).
The Cowboys will be back in action just six days from now, heading to Erie, Colo., for the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational on Sept. 25-26. At the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational last season, the Cowboys set a then-record tournament score of 845 (-19) en route to a second-place team finish. Follow along with the Cowboys on twitter at @wyo_golf as they attempt to maintain their blazing start to the 2017-18 season next week.
Wyoming Results
2. John Murdock: 66+68+70 = 204 (-6)
T6. Drew McCullough: 64+72+72 = 208 (-2)
T31. Glenn Workman: 73+74+70 = 217 (+7)
T51. Arron Lickteig: 72+77+72 = 221 (+11)
T54. Quintin Pope: 72+75+75 = 222 (+12)
T59. Carl Underwood (I): 77+76+70 = 223 (+13)
Team Standings
1. Colorado State: 268+280+275 = 823 (-17)
2. UMKC: 281+281+280 = 842 (+2)
3. Wyoming: 274+289+284 = 847 (+3)
4. TCU: 282+283+283 = 848 (+8)
5. Sam Houston State: 280+292+284 = 856 (+16)
