Locals Help Guilford College To NCAA Division III Men's Golf Tourney
NCAA DIVISION III GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD ANNOUNCED;
GUILFORD COLLEGE BIDS FOR ITS THIRD NATIONAL TITLE IN SIX YEARS
GUILFORD'S BID: Guilford College's men's golf team earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) first automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships field by winning the league championship tournament April 23 in Amherst, Va. The full 35-team field was announced Monday and contains 24 automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large selections. Five competitors will play as individuals. The national championships will be held May 15-18, at the Hawthorns Golf and Country Club and the Prairie View Golf Club in Fishers and Carmel, Ind. Anderson University and the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau serve as tournament co-hosts.
This event marks the first NCAA Division III tourney with 35 teams and the first with automatic qualifiers. (From 1994-2006 there were 23 teams selected by committee.) The team and individual champions will be determined after 72 holes of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top-23 teams and top-five individuals not on one of those teams.
GUILFORD VS. THE 2007 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD: The Quakers met 15 of the other 34 teams in the field during the regular season and compiled a 27-14-2 record in those meetings. Guilford went 7-2 at the prestigious Gordin Classic October 15-16 by virtue of its third-place finish. Ten of the 12 teams in the Gordin qualified for the NCAA Championships field. The Quakers defeated six of seven NCAA participants with a second-place performance at the Emory Spring Invitational April 8-9.
Guilford's 2006-07 records versus the 15 teams are as follows: Central (Iowa) (1-0), Emory (4-1), Huntingdon (2-2-1), La Verne (1-0), LaGrange (3-1), Methodist (1-5-1), Nebraska Wesleyan (1-0), Oglethorpe (3-3), Ohio Wesleyan (2-0), Rhodes (2-2), St. John's (Minn.) (1-0), Skidmore (1-0), Texas Lutheran (1-0), Transylvania (1-0), Wesley (3-0).
GUILFORD IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Guilford received its eighth straight NCAA Championships bid and its 15th in 16 years of NCAA membership. The Quakers won their second national title in four years in 2005 with a 25-stroke triumph over Redlands at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. Guilford captured the 2002 NCAA Championship with a six-stroke victory over Greensboro at the Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb. The title marked the program's first NCAA Division III title in any sport. The Quakers qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in seven consecutive years after leaving the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) ranks in 1991.
Guilford's NCAA Championships history is listed below:
Year |
Rd. 1 |
Rd. 2 |
Rd. 3 |
Rd. 4 |
Total |
Finish/Teams |
1992 |
319 |
304 |
316 |
302 |
1241 |
11/21 |
1993 |
322 |
328 |
316 |
306 |
1272 |
16/22 |
1994 |
327 |
323 |
311 |
316 |
1277 |
T17/23 |
1995 |
333 |
325 |
328 |
986* |
19/23 |
|
1996 |
297 |
311 |
295 |
309 |
1212 |
8/23 |
1997 |
302 |
295 |
340 |
302 |
1239 |
T5/23 |
1998 |
305 |
303 |
295 |
306 |
1209 |
11/23 |
2000 |
304 |
320 |
303 |
927* |
T11/23 |
|
2001 |
293 |
292 |
283 |
295 |
1163 |
2/23 |
2002 |
300 |
311 |
301 |
300 |
1212 |
1/23 |
2003 |
313 |
305 |
298 |
307 |
1223 |
17/23 |
2004 |
312 |
304 |
314 |
292 |
1222 |
12/23 |
2005 |
302 |
285 |
297 |
290 |
1174 |
1/23 |
2006 |
299 |
296 |
302 |
318 |
1215 |
5/23 |
* - tournament shortened by weather
GUILFORD IN THE POSTSEASON: As seen by their NCAA Championships experience, the Quakers are no strangers to postseason competition. Guilford ranked among the elite NAIA men's golf programs during its affiliation with the organization and won the 1989 NAIA national championship.
In head coach Jack Jensen's 31 seasons as Guilford's men's golf coach, his teams have qualified for national playoff competition 26 times. The Quakers recorded top-six finishes in 10 NAIA National Tournaments from 1979-1990, including runner-up performances in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
GUILFORD'S LINEUP
Low |
||||
Name (Class, Hometown) |
Rounds |
Avg. |
Round |
Best Finish (Tournament, Date) |
Joseph Poplin (Sr., Eden, N.C.) |
22 |
72.09 |
62 |
2nd (214) ODAC Championship, 4/21-23 |
T2nd (144) Mid-Pines Invitational, 2/26-27 |
||||
T2nd (141) Gordin Classic, 10/15-16 |
||||
2. Colin Clark (Sr., Durham, N.C.) |
20 |
74.15 |
66 |
1st (211) ODAC Championship, 4/21-23 |
3. Peter Latimer (Fr., Markinch, Scotland) |
22 |
75.05 |
66 |
1st (145) Emory Spring Invitational, 4/8-9 |
4. Burton Wood (So., Siler City, N.C.) |
22 |
75.50 |
67 |
1st (143) Mid-Pines Invitational, 2/26-27 |
5. Brian Creghan (Fr., Radnor, Pa.) |
18 |
77.39 |
70 |
T10 (147) Oglethorpe Invitational, 10/30-31 |
QUAKER NOTES: The Quakers are ranked second in Golfstat's May 2 Division III Head-to-Head Rankings with a 251-1 record, including a 15-1 mark against top-25 clubs... Guilford ranks first in par-4 scoring (4.20), second in subpar strokes per round (2.69) and sixth in par-3 scoring (3.32) according to the May 4 Golfstat Statistic Rankings... Guilford's 295.27 team stroke average stands first in school history... the Quakers are ranked second in the April 25 Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches' Poll.
LAST TIME OUT: Guilford won its league record-tying 10th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship and its seventh in eight years with a nine-over-par 873 at the Poplar Grove Golf Club in Amherst, Va., April 21-23. The Quakers defeated runner-up Washington and Lee University and the rest of the nine-team field by 17 strokes. Guilford senior Colin Clark (Durham, N.C./Chapel Hill) birdied the last five holes for a final-day 66 that lifted him past teammate Joseph Poplin (Eden, N.C./Morehead) to the medalist title with a three-day 211. Poplin, who joined Clark on the all-tournament team, finished three strokes back in second place at 214.
HEAD COACH JACK JENSEN: Jack Jensen will complete his 31st season as Guilford's golf coach at this year's NCAA Championships. He has guided 26 of his teams into national tournaments, including the 2005 and 2002 NCAA Division III champions and the 1989 unit that won the NAIA title.
Jensen, who received the Golf Coaches Association of America Division III National Coach of the Year Awards in 2002 and 2005, has coached 25 students to 38 performance and nine academic All-America commendations.
Jensen joined Guilford's staff as an assistant basketball coach in 1965 and served as the Quakers' head men's basketball coach from 1970-99. His 1972-73 team featured future National Basketball Association (NBA) players M.L. Carr '73, World B. Free and Greg Jackson '74 and won the NAIA national championship. A member of the NAIA, Guilford College and Guilford County Sports Halls of Fame, Jensen was the second person to coach two different teams to NAIA national titles.
After assuming golf coaching duties in 1976, Jensen built Guilford into an NAIA golf power. From 1985-1990, Guilford finished no lower than sixth at the NAIA tourney and placed second from 1985 to 1987. The Quakers captured seven NAIA District 26/Carolinas Athletic Conference titles, which earned the Bloomfield, N.J., native seven District 26 Coach of the Year awards.
Guilford's success continued in 1992 when it moved from the NAIA to the NCAA Division III ranks. On the conference level, the Quakers have won a league-record 10 ODAC championships, including the 2007 crown. Jensen has a league-record eight ODAC Coach of the Year plaques and was the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1989.
Many Jensen-coached golfers have enjoyed individual success. Guilford’s Lee Porter '89, a two-time All-American and 1988 World University Games gold medalist, played on the Nationwide Tour and spent six years on the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour. Bill Brooks '83 and Rob Odom '87 were the NAIA Tournament medalists in 1983 and 1986, respectively. Senior Colin Clark edged teammate Dave Patterson '06 in a one-hole playoff to win medalist honors at the 2005 NCAA national championship.
PLAYER PROFILES:
Joseph Poplin (Sr., Eden, N.C.) - Guilford's top player all season... 72.09 stroke average in 22 rounds ranks first in Guilford history... ranked 168th in the May 1 Golfstat Cup (all divisions), tops among Division III golfers... stands first nationally among Golfstat's Division III par-4 scoring (4.02), fourth in subpar strokes per round (3.23) and eighth in par-5 scoring (4.78)... has three runner-up finishes among eight top-eight efforts in 10 events... recorded Guilford's low score in four of 10 tournaments... set the school record for 18 holes with a 62 at the Camp Lejeune Invitational... set the 36-hole standard (133) and tied Guilford's best 54-hole score (207) at the same event... one of three recipients of Guilford's 2006-07 English Athletic Leadership Award, the school's highest athletic honor... named the 2006-07 ODAC Golfer of the Year... earned PING Second Team All-America honors with a 13th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division III Championships.
Colin Clark (Sr., Durham, N.C.) - Consistently among Guilford's top-three players... 74.15 stroke average in 20 rounds is the 10th-lowest in Guilford history... won the third college tournament of his career at the 2007 ODAC Championship and earned all-tournament honors... Guilford's first four-time First Team All-ODAC selection... logged a third-place effort at Guilford's Tom O'Briant Memorial in the fall... birdied the final five holes in a career-low 66 final round at the ODAC Tournament... ranked third nationally among Golfstat's May 1 Division III subpar strokes per round leaders (3.30), eighth in par-3 scoring (3.18)... defeated teammate Dave Patterson '06 in a one-hole playoff to win medalist and PING First Team All-America honors at the 2005 national tournament... PING honorable mention All-American in 2003-04... 2003-04 ODAC Player of the Year.
Peter Latimer (Fr., Markinch, Scotland) - Has a 75.05 average in 22 rounds... 2006-07 ODAC Rookie of the Year... First Team All-ODAC... won a three-hole playoff with two others to claim his first college medalist honor at the Emory Spring Invitational April 9 (72-73-145)... won two ODAC Golfer of the Week Awards... placed seventh at the ODAC Championships, his second top-10 finish of the year... carded a 66 in the second round of the Marine Federal Credit Union Intercollegiate March 31, matching the second-lowest score in school history... 2006 Official St. Andrews Match Play Champion... won the 2005 Fife State Champion of Champions title.
Burton Wood (So., Siler City, N.C.) - Has a 75.50 stroke average in 22 rounds... shot a career-low 67 in the opening round of the Mid-Pines/Pfeiffer Invitational and held on for his first college win (67-76-143) in the predominantly NCAA Division II field... has three top-15 efforts this year, including 12th at the ODAC Championship... Second Team All-ODAC selection... won the league's Player of the Week Award for the week of Feb. 26 after winning the Mid-Pines/Pfeiffer Invitational.... in his first year at Guilford after transferring from NCAA Division I UNC Greensboro last fall... three-time all-state performer at Jordan-Matthews High School.
Brian Creghan (Fr., Radnor, Pa.) - Has an 77.39 average in 18 rounds... honorable mention All-ODAC... shot a career-low 70 at the Greensboro Invitational Oct. 2... had Guilford's low score (147) and best finsh (10th) at the Oglethorpe Invitational Oct. 30-31... placed 17th at the Emory Spring Invitational April 8-9... three-time All-Central League golfer at Conestoga High School.