Cowboy golfers to open season

by UW Athletics Media Relations

The University of Wyoming men's golf team will open the 2009-10 season by traveling to the prestigious University of New Mexico Tucker Invitational. The tournament will be played at the UNM Championship Course in Albuquerque and will feature two rounds of 18 holes on Friday and one final round on Saturday.

The Tucker Invitational, which is in its 55th year, is the second-oldest men’s college tournament in the country. Former Tucker participants include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Johnny Miller, Fuzzy Zoeller, Rich Beem and Jim Furyk.

This year’s event will feature 17 teams, including the 2009 NCAA champion Texas A&M Aggies. Other teams include Air Force, Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Campbell, Colorado, UNLV, New Mexico, New Mexico State, North Texas, Pepperdine, San Diego State, UT-San Antonio, Utah and UTEP.

While they have been a young team in the past, the Cowboys are now coming of age. They welcome back a great deal of experience, as seven of UW’s eight players have college experience. The team is led by a core group of juniors including Max Curnow, Phil Henzlik, Gabe Maier, Mike May, Casey Ruff and Zach Zaremba. Senior Jared Butler and redshirt freshman Clinton Boutelle round out the Pokes’ roster.

Last season, Zaremba led the team in stroke average with a 74.75. Henzlik played the best golf of any Cowboy down the stretch of the season and placed seventh at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships. Last season, Henzlik, Maier, May and Zaremba played in all 12 tournaments as sophomores.

“The guys worked really hard this past summer, we have great team chemistry and we are excited to get the season rolling,” UW Director of Golf Joe Jensen said. “Hopefully, we can take that hard work and turn it into success.

“The Tucker is a great event and we are thrilled to be here. The guys are excited about the opportunity to face some great teams. We are looking forward to a fun weekend.”

UNM’s Championship Course measures in at 7,591 yards and plays to a par of 72. The tournament can be followed live on UNM’s website www.golobos.com.