OCR Text |
Show APRIL 2000 VJavl BY COO1 GflG'CKn (?flOHB HI Emmas Sun BT HART? WiXOM f fter finishing 9th in the Western i Collegiate at Santa Cruz, Calif. earlier this month, the BYU men's golfers have a look of redemption in their eyes. They were ranked as high as fourth in the NCAA earlier this year. This month is pivotal to see if they can live up to their own expectations. Seniors Andy Miller and Jose Carrido know they must take the lead in their last year to finish with a flourish. Yet, in the last tournament, it was Manual Merizalde, the other half of the Colombian connection, who showed the way. Merizalde had one of his better rounds at 70-71-74; not quite par golf. But not bad. A few days ago I spent time with Andy Miiler, first at the driving range, then a practice round on the course. His foursome included Garrido, Jesse Hibbler of Boise, and pro Dean Smith, who played for Karl Tucker in his last year as coach in 1992. Watching Miller, who was introduced to the game by his father (Johnny) at "about age 1," one quickly sees where he gets his power. He unleashes a straight left arm-hinged swing for great distance. But he says he has never done as well on the home riverside course as elsewhere. And on the first hole, his power seemed to put him in trouble to trees at the right. No matter. He punched through the branches some 150 yards to within 18 inches of the cup for a birdie. On No. 2, he got another birdie by sinking a putt of some 20 feet. On this same hole, Hibbler second-bounced second-bounced his approach shot into the hole for an eagle. Garrido had trouble getting out of thick grass to the green, but parred the next two. Smith hit the farthest, but the others kept up with him around the green. Incredibly, Garrido used a nine-iron against mild wind to reach green No. 3, 1 77 yards away. Most weekend golfers would have used at least a 4-iron. Along the way, Garrido told me his native Colombia never had a high school golf team for him to learn from. He just hung around a country club where pros befriended him and provided tips on his game. Not LDS, Garrido played in tournaments with Andy, (always the goodwill ambassador) where he learned about BYU's emphasis on golf. He and fellow Colombian Merizalde followed the Millers to BYU. "I'm very happy I did," adds Garrido. Incidentally, before leaving the driving range, one couldn't help but notice BYU Athletic Director Val Hale belting the ball out there pretty well. Does Hale have any eligibility remaining? The NCAA Championships are not until May 31 -June 3 in Alabama and as a team, the Cougars have a lot of work to do before then. Not letting any of his charges rest on their laurels, Coach Bruce Brockbank holds weekly qualifications over the home layout to determine if someone can break through the Six Pack of Billy Harvey, Andy, two brothers Scott and Todd, Garrido, Merizalde. If they falter, up come Ollie Nissinen of Finland, Kyle Wight of Brigham City, Berg Crawford of Orem, Jared Overton, Provo, Jesse 1 '"' "j mm mm, New & Used Auto Parts Full-time mechanic Free brake inspection Lube & Oil $16.95 ... M I No job too Diu or too small KU1SH HILLTOP 1775 S. JrS efl Slati St. locatetf M the ProraOrtm Hill F- ft fli 1775 S. State, Orem Over 40 Years of Quality Service 1 , ; . """' f m$ ill, It U -i v it i X - At ; E f Photo by Mark PhilbrickBYU Junior Billy Harvey, a part of the Six Pack for Coach Brockbank. Hibler, Boise. "It keeps them competitive," says Brockbank. "The younger players are aware that they can break in. The others know they must keep sharp or they will be replaced." While the newcomers lack experience, golf is a funny game. The links are of full of people challenging big names. Does anyone know who led the Masters through the first round at Augusta earlier this month? Most never heard of him or even remember his name. He didn't figure in the finish, but Vijay Singh did; a man who has won only one major in the past who suddenly became slinky-smooth unbeatable. The Cougar crew is doing whatever it can to improve, says Brockbank. "Until we began play at Thanksgiving Point (Lehi), we didn't do well in the wind. The Point has given us a new dimension; also, new putting slopes and angles to master. We need all the experience we can get." The seniors have to gain it in a hurry. If they haven't got it, they'll waste the best chance they've had of taking the whole NCAA shebang since 1 981 . SQcsgeire Mbii fSie BYU wUrjm mm mm T DAVE BROBERG, BYU AtMetic Media mmn i r 4 s men s goit team WZ easily defeated 14th- ranked Stanford in a head-to-head tournament held at Riverside Country Club on Saturday. The Cougars were led by the play of Sophomore Todd Miller who shot a 70-66-136 second round score and won all three points in the stroke-play first round. Stanford and No. 5 BYU played two 36-hole rounds. The first round was a stroke-play format with the Cougars collecting 17 12 out of a possible 27 points. "Now I see why in the older days they used the head-to-head format so much," BYU head ccach Bruce Brockbankd said. "It's a pretty fun way to play." In the second round the Cougars showed why they are ranked the fifth-best fifth-best team in the Country. On the first 1 8 holes of the second round BYU shot nine-under-par, while on the second 18 the Cougars were red hot shooting 1 9-under-par. "I hope you're seeing the start of the finishing touches of the season right here," Brockbankd said. "It would be something else if we can maintain this type of play through the remainder of the season." BYU returns to Riverside Country Club again on Friday as it plays host at the Cougar Classic. BYU must play well again at Riverside in order to beat No. 1 0 Fresno State and No. 1 3 New Mexico in the Cougar Classic. "I'll take these scores next week again if I can," Brockbank said. "We are playing really well this year." Along with Fresno State and New Mexico, eleven other teams are coming to Provo looking to knock of the defending champions BYU. The Cougar Classic begins Friday April 21 and finishes Saturday April 22. III. I I Tl 5 |