Spring season begins in Cali

NEWPORT COAST, Calif. – The 12th-ranked University of Arkansas men’s golf team opens its 2010-11 spring season on Sunday morning at the Battle at the Beach in Newport Coast, Calif. The Razorbacks finished second at the event a year ago on the Resort on Pelican Hill’s Ocean North Course.

The Battle at the Beach is a 13-team event that includes some of the best teams in the nation. Scheduled for the 2011 event are Arizona State, Augusta State, Colorado, Long Beach State, Oregon State, San Diego, San Diego State, Tennessee, UT-Arlington, UC Davis, UCLA and Washington. Golfstat.com has five teams in the Battle of the Beach field ranked among its top 25 including UCLA at No. 2, San Diego (10th), Arkansas (12th), Augusta State (14th) and San Diego (25th).

A year ago, the Razorbacks put together a final round for the record books as former Razorback David Lingmerth and current senior Jamie Marshall shot rounds of 64 and 65 to push Arkansas up the leaderbaord. Marshall shot seven-under par for the three-round tournament to finish in a tie for third. Lingmerth shared medalist honors.

The 2011 event brings six Razorbacks to California for the start of the spring season. Marshall leads the contingent and will be joined by junior Ethan Tracy, sophomores Austin Cook and Josh Eure, and freshmen Sebastian Cappelen and Will Pearson. Marshall leads the Razorbacks in stroke average this year at 71.93 and is followed closely by Tracy who has compiled a 72.00 stroke average. Cappelen, a true freshman, holds a 72.07 average as each is on pace to earn all-America honors.

As a team, the Razorbacks have played in five tournaments this season and finished in the top four in each. Arkansas won the Cabo Collegiate in early October and in 14 total rounds this fall shot par or better three times and were just 29 strokes over-par as a team. The Hogs compiled a team record of 46-8 over those four tournaments.