Razorback Golfers Headed to SEC Championships

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s golf team will tee off April 18-20 at the 2008 SEC Championships in St. Simons Island, Ga. The event will be played out on the par-72, 7,217-yard course at the Frederica Golf Club. In 10 events played this season, the Razorbacks have collected eight top-five results, including five finishes in the top three.

Arkansas will go with the same lineup it has used during the four previous tournaments which consists of freshman Sam Chavez, sophomore David Lingmerth and juniors Andrew Landry, Will Osborne and Jason Turner. During that four-event span, the Razorbacks have claimed a team title at the Border Olympics and finished no lower than fourth in the other three tournaments.

On the season, Landry leads the team with seven top-10 finishes and a 72.60 scoring average. In his last outing, the Razorback junior posted a fourth-place finish at the Mizzou Intercollegiate. Landry finished tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard at last year’s conference championship with a six-over-par 216. The Groves, Texas, native is rated No. 53 in the latest Golfweek player rankings.

Lingmerth, along with Landry, has competed in all 30 rounds of play this season for Arkansas. He carries a 73.20 scoring average which is good for second on the team. During his first season as a Razorback, Lingmerth has posted eight top-20 finishes, including a season-best result at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate where he tied for fourth place.

Turner and Osborne are the other Razorbacks with SEC Championships experience. Last year, Turner finished in a tie for 53rd place at the conference event. He carded a 74.25 scoring average this season and has three top-20 results, including his first career title at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate. Osborne has two top-20 finishes to this credit and a 75.17 scoring average this season. He participated in the 2006 SEC Championships for Arkansas and finished in a tie for 60th place.

Playing in his first conference tournament, Chavez has been in the Razorback lineup for the past six events. In that time, he has tallied three results in the top 20 and a 74.67 scoring average, which is fourth on the team. His season-best finish came at the Border Olympics where he tied for second place.

Arkansas will be looking to improve on its 10th-place performance at last year’s SEC Championships. The Razorbacks claimed their only conference team title at the 1995 event.

In the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, Arkansas is one of 11 SEC teams ranked in the top 50. The Razorbacks hold the No. 37 position this week. The teams from Georgia and Alabama occupy the top two spots in the ranking, while Florida and Tennessee fall in at seventh and ninth, respectively. There are six conference teams ranked in the Golf World/Nike coaches’ top 25 poll with Alabama holding the No. 1 position.

Tennessee and Auburn’s Patton Kizzire are the defending conference champions. The Volunteers finished two shots ahead of Alabama, while Kizzire outpaced the player field by four shots.

The Razorbacks will be paired with Alabama and Florida in the last group of Friday’s first round. They are scheduled to tee off at 11:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com. Log on to www.hogwired.com for complete results and continued coverage of the Razorbacks at the SEC Championships.