Creswell, Ore. (March 26, 2019) -- Wyoming Cowboy senior John Murdock finished with a two-over par total of 218 for 54 holes at the Oregon Duck Invitational on Tuesday to tie for 10th place.  It was Murdock's fourth Top 20 finish of the 2018-19 season and his third Top 15 finish.  The Cowboys finished in ninth place in the 16-team field, with a final three-round total of 894 (+30). 
     
Oregon State captured the team title and was the only team that finished under par for the tournament.  The Beavers shot a three-under par score of 861.  Individual medalist honors went to Ryan Gronlund of the host Oregon Ducks.  Gronlund fired a final round 69 (-3) to finish at 211 (-5) for the tournament.  He overtook first-day leader Cameron Kaneko of Hawai'i, who finished in second place at 212 (-4).
     
"For John (Murdock) to finish in the Top 10 here against a really good field is a big positive for our program," said Joe Jensen, Cowboy head coach and UW Director of Golf.  "John looked confident this week.  He seemed to be playing with a good rhythm, and in addition to his play he has been a strong, quiet leader for our team all season.  To have him get a Top 10 finish this week and Dan (Starzinski) to get a Top 10 finish 10 days ago at the Grand Canyon tournament shows that we have two upperclassmen who are good, quality golfers. 
     
"This was a very, very difficult golf course here at the Oregon tournament.  Our freshmen struggled with the difficulty of the course today, but I'm really proud of the way they competed throughout this tournament.  It is great experience for them to play in an event like this.  Their inexperience made it difficult for them to put three consecutive good rounds together, but we will continue to work on developing their confidence and consistency.  There aren't a lot of teams in the country playing with three freshmen in the lineup.  We just have to continue to get better, and we have three tournaments left on our spring schedule to continue to work on that."
     
Freshman Kirby Coe-Kirkham was Wyoming's second highest placer after Murdock.  Coe-Kirkham tied for 29th, with a final score of 222 (+6).  Fellow freshman Tyler Severin tied for 49th at 227 (+11).  Starzinski, a junior, finished in a tie for 53rd, with a 228 (+12) total, and freshman Jimmy Dales tied for 72nd at 233 (+17).
     
The Oregon Duck Invitational was played on the Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Ore.  Emerald Valley played to a par of 72 and measured 7,145 yards.
     
Wyoming will return to action on Monday and Tuesday, April 8-9 when it will host its own Cowboy Classic in Chandler, Ariz.
 
Team Standings
1.   Oregon State                      292-285-284=861 (-3)
2.   Oregon                               286-291-294=871 (+7)
3.   Boise State                          296-289-290=875 (+11)
4.   Seattle                                296-292-294=882 (+18)
5.   Nevada                                 281-299-304=884 (+20)
6.   San Jose State                     295-298-292=885 (+21)
7.   San Francisco                      300-293-296=889 (+25)
8.   San Diego State                   295-301-295=891 (+27)
9.   Wyoming                           287-301-306=894 (+30)
10. Denver                                301-300-294=895 (+31)
11.  Oral Roberts                        297-304-295=896 (+32)
12. Long Beach State                 301-306-302=909 (+45)
13. Washington State                303-303-305=911 (+47)
14. Loyola Marymount              305-310-299=914 (+50)
15. Hawaii                                295-309-311=915 (+51)
16. Pacific                                 303-310-310=923 (+59)
 
Wyoming Cowboys' Individual Standings
T10 John Murdock                     69-75-74=218 (+2)
T29 Kirby Coe-Kirkham              69-75-78=222 (+6)
T49 Tyler Severin                       75-73-79=227 (+11)
T53 Dan Starzinski                     75-78-75=228 (+12)
T72 Jimmy Dales                        74-80-79=233 (+17)