Jayhawks Set to Play in Big 12 Championship
April 24, 2009
HUTCHINSON, Kan. –
The Kansas men’s golf team will open postseason play at the Big 12 Championships, April 27-29, at Prairie Dunes Golf Club (par-70, 6,700 yards).
The Jayhawks will look to build off a regular season effort that included five top-five finishes as a team and five top-10 individual finishes.
Head coach Kit Grove will feature a lineup that includes three seniors in Walt Koelbel, Zach Pederson and Andrew Storm, along with junior Bryan Hackenberg and sophomore Nate Barbee.
Koelbel, Pederson and Barbee are the only Jayhawks in the lineup to have competed in the Big 12 Championship. Koelbel tied for ninth at the 2007 Big 12 Championship, also played at Prairie Dunes.
Barbee leads the team in scoring average entering postseason play and has amassed five top-20 finishes in his eight starts.
At last year’s Big 12 Championship, the Jayhawks finished in sixth place and were the top finisher from the North portion of the conference. The Jayhawks won the event in 1999.
The Jayhawks will also look to place an individual in the top-10 for the fourth straight year. Former Jayhawk Brad Hopfinger finished seventh in the 2008 Big 12 Championship, Koelbel finished tied for ninth at the 2007 event and former Jayhawk and current PGA Tour player Gary Woodland tied for seventh at the 2006 Championship.
In the Big 12 Coaches’ poll to dictate tee times and pairings, the Jayhawks were selected as the 11th-best team entering the event.
For the second-consecutive year, the event will be 72 holes over a three-day period. Thrity-six holes will be conducted on April 27, followed by single rounds on April 28 and 29.
Live scoring will be available on golfstat.com. Check back to www.kuathletics.com for a complete recap and results after each day of the Big 12 Championship.
Past Performances at Big 12 Championship
Walt Koelbel
2007- (74-78-69—221) T9th
2008- (74-72-73-79—298) 22nd
Zach Pederson
2006- (74-80-80—234) 57th
2008- (81-85-80-75—321) 58th
Nate Barbee
2008- (76-76-74-83—309) T41st
Patrick Roth
2008- (78-77-74-76—305) T37th
