Razorbacks look to improve at SEC
FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas men’s golf team begins its participation at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships on Friday morning at 8 a.m. at the Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Ga.
Arkansas hopes to improve on its second-place finish from a year ago, but to do so would mean that the Razorbacks would have to take down one of the best collegiate fields in the country on way to a second SEC Championship trophy, and first since 1995. The Hogs are paired with Mississippi State and Tennessee for the first round and start their pursuit of the team title on the 10th hole on Friday. The Seaside Course that the teams will compete on is a 7,055-yard, par 70 course designed by famed course designer Thomas Fazio in 2005. This is the 10th consecutive season that the Sea Island Golf Club has hosted the SEC Men’s Golf Championship.
"We have been playing pretty well over the last three weeks," Arkansas head coach Brad McMakin said. "We’ll be taking the same team that traveled to Austin, Texas, and they have been playing well all spring so I expect that to continue. The scores overall should be lower than last year and with the consistency that we have shown throughout the spring, it should give us a chance to compete for the team title."
Leading the way for the Razorbacks is senior David Lingmerth who enters the 2010 championship with the third best stroke average in the SEC this season. Shooting under par in five of 11 tournaments this season, Lingmerth should be comfortable with the Sea Island setting as he tied for fifth at last season’s championship with a four-under-par, 212. His outstanding score tied for the third best by any Razorback at an SEC Championship event and was six off Arkansas’ all-time school record of 206 shot by Bud Still in 1995 on way to the SEC individual title.
In order for the Razorbacks to compete with the tough SEC field, it will take more than just Lingmerth to be at the top of his game. Junior Jamie Marshall has emerged as Arkansas’ No. 2 golfer this season with a stroke average of 72.55 and one tournament victory this season. Senior Dalton Owens and freshmen Austin Cook and Josh Eure round out Arkansas’ players.
