May 12, 2000
Teeing Off: The NCAA Western Regional will be hosted by Fresno State at the par-72, 6966 yard Riverbend Golf Course in Madera, California May 18-20. The field consists of 27 teams from around the country and six individuals. The top 10 teams from the Western Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, held in Opelika, Alabama May 31-June 3.
NCAA Western Regional Field Arizona Arizona State BYU California Colorado CS Northridge Fresno State Iona Idaho Long Beach State Maryland - B.C. Navy New Mexico Oregon Oregon State Pacific Pepperdine Princeton San Diego State Southern California Stanford Towson State UCLA UNLV UTEP Washington Wright State
Playing the Field: The Western Regional hosts 27 teams from around the country. Nine of the 27 are currently ranked in the most recent MasterCard rankings, including No. 5 Arizona State, No. 6 Fresno State, No. 8 Arizona, No. 9 BYU, No. 11 UNLV, No. 13 New Mexico, No. 17 Stanford, No. 19 Oregon and No. 21 Washington. Individually, there are 16 ranked players whose teams will be competing at the Western Regionals, including No. 5 Paul Casey of Arizona State, No. 7 Jeremy Anderson of UNLV and No. 10 Andy Miller of BYU. Stanford's Dusty Brett is the only Cardinal ranked in the top 100 in the MasterCard ranking, ranked No. 97.
MasterCard Rankings Top 25 (as of 5/10) 1 Georgia Tech 2 Clemson 3 Oklahoma State 4 Georgia 5 Arizona State 6 Fresno State 7 Northwestern 8 Arizona 9 BYU 10 Houston 11 UNLV 12 Augusta State 13 New Mexico 14 North Carolina St. 15 North Florida 16 Florida 17 Stanford 18 Auburn 19 Oregon 20 Kent State 21 Washington 22 South Carolina 23 Texas 24 Virginia 25 Kansas
Spring Summary: The Cardinal has had a great spring half of the 1999-2000 season, recording a second place finish at the Anteater Invitational, and five top-10 placings. Here is a recap of the Spring tournaments to date.
1. Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate, Jan. 31-Feb. 1 -- Stanford had to get back into the swing of things after taking an almost three-month hiatus from the greens, but getting back on track proved no problem for the Cardinal. Stanford tied for fifth place with a final score of 847, scoring the top five of six players. Team captain Dusty Brett continued his torrid pace, finishing tied for 12th place with a total of 216, and freshman Ron Won tied for 22nd with a score of 218.
2. Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate, Feb. 17-19 -- The Cardinal finished the three day tournament in eighth place after shooting rounds of 299-279-307 for a final score of 885. Sophomore Philip Rowe was Stanford's top finisher, placing tied for seventh after recording rounds of 71-68-75 for a total score of 214. Jimmy Lee finished tied for 26 with rounds of 76-67-77 for a total of 220.
3. Southwestern Intercollegiate, Feb. 28-29 -- Stanford finished with a 10th place finish at the two-day event hosted by USC at the North Ranch Country Club. The Cardinal squad posted rounds of 303, 302 and 284 to finish with a three-round total of 889. Sophomore Philip Rowe was Stanford's top finisher, placing in a tie for 28th with a two-day total of 220, recording rounds of 79, one-under par 70, and even-par 70. Junior Jimmy Lee recorded a third-round total of 67, four-under par and the lowest posted by any golfer at the tournament.
4. Anteater Invitational, March 27-28 -- Stanford took a second place finish at the Anteater Invitational, ending with a three-round total of 892 behind Pac-10 foe Washington, who posted a total of 886. The Cardinal recorded rounds of 301, 293 and 298. Freshman Ron Won was the top finisher for the Cardinal, placing in a tie for 12th with rounds of 72, 73 and 76 for a three-round total of 221. Junior Alex Aragon placed in a tie for 17th with a total of 222 after posting a two-under par second round of 70 and a one-under par third round of 71 and a first round of 81.
5. Western Intercollegiate, April 3-4 -- Stanford tied for 12th place with the University of the Pacific at the Western Intercollegiate, hosted by San Jose State. The squad posted rounds of 295, 285 and 294 for a three-round total of 874. Senior Dusty Brett was the Cardinal's top placer, finishing in a tie for 28th place with a total of 218 after carding rounds of 74, 74 and an even-par third round of 70. Freshman Ron Won posted the best round by a Stanford golfer, carding a second round of 67.
6. Pac-10 Conference Championships, April 24-26 -- Stanford finished in sixth place at the Conference Championships with a four-round total of 1448 with rounds of 362, 368, 360 and 358. Junior Eric Dahlberg was the top finisher for the Cardinal, placing in a tie for 17th place with rounds of 70, 74, 70 and 72 for a total of 286. Senior Dusty Brett finished in a tie for 22nd place with a four-round total of 286, including a second round of 68, four under-par. Freshman Jim Seki finished in a tie for 25th place with a total of 285, and carded a third round of seven under-par 65, the lowest round by a Stanford freshman in the history of the program. Alex Aragon finished tied for 30th, Jimmy Lee finished 47th and Ron Won placed 56th.
7. US Intercollegiate, May 6-7 -- Stanford hosted 17 teams from around the west coast at the US Intercollegiate. The Cardinal squad finished in a tie for sixth place with San Francisco. Eric Dahlberg was Stanford's top finisher for the second tournament in a row, finishing in a tie for ninth place with a three-round total of 217. Jim Seki finished in a tie for 24th place with a total of 221. Dusty Brett and Alex Aragon tied for 46th place with a total of 225, and Jimmy Lee finished in a tie for 56th place with 228. Competing as individuals, Philip Rowe tied for 24th with a total of 221. Del deWindt tied for 86th place with 237 and Rudy Barreto finished 92nd with a 239.
The Fall Review: The Cardinal started the 1999-2000 season strong, with two tournament wins and a third place finish. Here are recaps of the fall tournaments.
1. The Husky Invitational, Sept. 27-28 -- The squad started strong out of the gate, winning their first tournament of the 1999-2000 season. The team posted a final score of 1106, nine strokes less than the second-place finisher, Oregon, who tallied a score of 1115. Junior Alex Aragon had the first win of his collegiate career in Washington when he recorded rounds of 69-75-70 to finish with a score of 214. Senior Dusty Brett tied for fourth place with a score of 220.
2. Windon Memorial Classic, Oct. 4-5 -- The Cardinal maintained their strong start with a third place finish in a field of 15. Brett was Stanford's top finisher with a tie for 10th place with 219 strokes. In his collegiate debut, freshman Jimmy Lee finished 16th with 222 strokes.
3. UC Davis Dual Match, Oct. 20 -- Stanford routed the Aggies by 35 strokes. Both Aragon and Brett turned in rounds of 69, two under par. Lee aced hole 14, giving him a round of 72.
4. The Nelson Invitational, Oct. 29-31 -- Stanford recorded its second tournament title of the season, defeating six top-25 school, including then-No. 1 Northwestern. Although not a member of the official Stanford squad, Lee was the top placer for the Cardinal, finishing tied for fourth with a score of 210. Brett tied for 10th place with a score of 211, and junior transfer Philip Rowe finished tied for 20th with a score of 215.
Dusting the Competition: Senior Dusty Brett has been a mainstay for the Cardinal squad this season. The team captain is currently ranked 97th in the nation by MasterCard and 102nd by Golfweek. He has posted three top 10 finishes, five top-25 finishes, and has competed in 12 of the team's 13 events this season. In the first event of the season at the Husky Invitational in his hometown of Tacoma, Wash., Brett tied for fourth place after posting rounds of 75-75-70 for a total of 220. At the Windon Memorial Classic, Brett tied for 10th with a score of 219. He recorded another tie for 10th place at the Nelson Invitational with a score of 211. In the first event of the spring season, the Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate, Brett tied for 12th place after carding rounds of 72-70-74 for a final of 216. At the Pac-10 Conference Championships, Brett finished tied for 22nd place with a four-round total of 288, including a second round of four under-par 68. He was named an Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection. Brett's stroke average of 72.8 is the best on the team.
Awesome Aragon: Junior Alex Aragon's emergence as a team leader this season has been a pleasant surprise for the Stanford golf team. Last season, Aragon competed in 10 events, had a stroke average of 76.38, and had one top 10 finish. He beat that record within the first four tournaments of the season. He has recorded one top-ten finish and three top-25 finishes so far this season. Aragon had his first collegiate win at the Husky Invitational, posting rounds of 69-75-70 for a total of 214 (two under par). Aragon then posted a 24th place finish at the Windon Memorial Classic with a total of 224. At the Nelson Invitational, hosted by Stanford, Aragon tied for 39th place with rounds of 72-71-75 for a total of 218. In the first event of the spring season, the Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate, Aragon posted rounds of 71-74-76 for a total of 221, good for a tie for 33rd place. He tied for 17th place at the Anteater Invitational, posting rounds of 81, 70 and 71 for a total of 222. He tied for 30th place at the Pac-10 Championships after carding rounds of 72 (par), 79, 71 (one under) and 69 (three under) for a four-round total of 291. He tied for 46th place at the U.S. Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 225. This season, Aragon has a stroke average of 73.5.
Discussing Dahlberg: Junior Eric Dahlberg has had a break-out season for the Cardinal in the 1999-2000 season. This season, Dahlberg has competed in nine events for Stanford and has a stroke average of 73.3. At the Nelson Invitational, where he tied for 30th place with a total of 217, a new career best. At the Pac-10 Championships, Dahlberg was the Cardinal's top finisher, placing in a tie for 17th place with rounds of 70, 74, 70 and 72, for an even-par total of 286. He was also the top finisher for Stanford for the second tournament in a row at the US Intercollegiate, where he finished in a tie for ninth place with a three-round total of 217.
Leading off with Lee: Junior Jimmy Lee has also been a strong presence on the links for the Cardinal. He has competed in 11 tournaments for Stanford this season, and is averaging 73.7 strokes per round. His best finish this year came at home in the Nelson Tournament, where he tied for fourth place with a three-round total of 210 after carding an even-par first round of 71, a one-under 70 and a two-under 69. His fourth-place finish led the squad to its second Tournament victory of the season. At the first meet of the season, the Windon Memorial Classic, he finished in 16th place, helping his team to the first Tournament Title of the season. He has posted a season low round of 67, and a tournament low of 210.
Rowe's Round: A sophomore transfer from Exeter University in the United Kingdom, Philip Rowe was the youngest member of the 1999 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup vs. America at Nairn, Scotland. At the Walker Cup, Rowe won all three matches he played in, two doubles and one single. Rowe has represented England in numerous tournaments. He was the 12th equal qualifier in the British Amateur, took third in the Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play, won the Lanhydrock Open in Cornwall, UK with two 67's (six under par), and was vital to England's win at The Home Internationals at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, winning England's sixth Raymond Trophy. Rowe was the leading qualifier and semifinalist in The Spanish Amateur, and took seventh at the Palmer Cup. Competing for the Cardinal, Rowe has golfed in eight events and one as an individual, and has recorded four top-25 finishes and one top-10 finish. At the first tournament of the 1999-2000 season, the Husky Classic, Rowe tied for 21st with a score of 227. He finished tied for 27th at the Windon Memorial Classic with a total of 225, and posted a round of 71 at the UC Davis dual match. At the Nelson Invitational, Rowe tied for 20th place after carding rounds of 71-71-73 for a total of 215. At the Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegaite in Hawaii, Rowe was Stanford's top placer, finishing tied for seventh after carding rounds of 71 (one-under par,) 68 (two-under par) and 75 for a total which was even with par of 214. The Waikoloa Intercollegaite was Rowe's best showing since coming to Stanford. He finished in a tie for 24th place competing as an individual at the US Intercollegiate with a total of 221.
Seki's Story: Freshman Jim Seki, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was the 1998 Hawaii State High School Champion and the Hawaii medallist qualifier to the USGA Junior Amateur Championship for four consecutive years. Seki has recorded three top-25 finishes so far this season, including a 25th place showing at the pac-10 Championships. Seki competed in his first collegiate tournament for the Cardinal at the Husky Invitational, where he tied for 27th with a score of 228. He finished in a tie for 20th place at the Nelson Invitational, where he competed as an individual. He also turned in a 29th place tie with a total of 221 at the Anteater Invitational, helping the team to a second place finish. Against Pacific in the Stanford-UOP Dual held at Madera, the location of the NCAA Western Regional Championships, Seki carded a five-under par round of 67 and a two-under 70. At the Pac-10 Championships, Seki finished in a tie for 25th place with a four-round total of 289. His fourth round stroke total of 65 was seven under-par and the lowest round recorded by a Stanford freshman in the history of the program. Seki turned in a total of 221 at the US Intercollegiate, good for a tie for 24th place. He has a season stroke average of 74.
Won's Way: Stanford's up-and-coming freshman golfer Ron Won earned the honor of competing as an amateur in the PGA's Buick Invitational, beating out 100 other hopefuls when he won the qualifier in San Diego on Oct. 6. The tournament was held Feb. 10-13 in San Diego at the Torey Pines Golf Course, a par-72 course. Won competed in the first two days, carding rounds of 76 and 77 for a total of 153, nine over par, but was cut from the competition after the second day. Won has competed in nine matches for the Cardinal, and continues to show improvement on the links. In the first match of the 1999-2000 season, Won turned in a 21st place finish with a three-round total of 227 at The Husky Classic. Competing as an individual in the Nelson Invitational, Won finished in a tie for fourth place with rounds of 75, five-under par 66 and a three-under third round of 69 for a total of 210. He was Stanford's second-best finisher at the Southwestern Intercollegiate, finishing tied for 31st with a score of 222. He led the squad to a second place finish at the Anteater Invitational, placing in a tie for 12th place with a three-round total of 221. At the Pac-10 Championships, Won placed 56th with a four-round total of 313. Won has a season stroke average of 74.5.
Head Coach Wally Goodwin: Wally Goodwin enters his 13th and final year as the head coach of the Stanford men's golf team. Goodwin will coach the team through this season before retiring in June, 2000 to his family ranch in Wyoming. In his 13 seasons on The Farm, he has produced some of the greatest teams and individual golfers in Stanford history. Among those is Tiger Woods, the most decorated golfer in the Cardinal record books. While here, Woods captured 10 individual tournament titles, including the 1996 NCAA individual championship.
Goodwin's 1994 team became the school's seventh NCAA men's golf championship team when they captured the title for the first time in more than forty years. The 1995 team recorded a second-place finish at the NCAA Tournament.
Goodwin's list of accomplishments is highlighted by a 1994 NCAA Coach of the Year honor. He was also named the 1992 and 1995 Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In addition, he has coached two Pac-10 Championship teams, three individual conference champions and seven All-Americans.
At the 2000 AT&T Classic at Pebble Beach, Coach Goodwin boasted five former players on the links, Tiger Woods, Notah Begay, Casey Martin and Joel Kribel playing as professionals, and Jerry Chang playing as Tiger Woods' amateur partner.
In his 13 years on The Farm, men's head golf coach Wally Goodwin has coached seven All-Americans, Christian Cevaer, Casey Martin, Notah Begay III, Steve Burdick, Williams Yanagisawa, Tiger Woods and Joel Kribel. Between these seven All-Americans, they own every single record in Stanford golf.
Wally Goodwin has dedicated the last 13 years to making the Stanford golf program one of the most revered in the nation. He has left an indelible mark on Stanford golf, and his winning tradition and dedication will be carried on in Cardinal golf for many years to come.