Cal State golfer in the hunt for national title

Sophomore Gene Webster Jr. matched his
opening round of 69 Thursday to move within one shot
of the lead at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Golf
Championship on a warm, humid day at Memorial Park
Golf Course.

Webster’s second straight 69 came while playing in
the same threesome with 36-hole co-leader Jude
Estaquio of Florida Southern who came back to earth
with a 74 Thursday after a sizzling 63 on Wednesday.

Estaquio and West Florida’s Kyle Scott are tied at 137
– three under par for the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes improved their Wednesday score
by one shot on Thursday but lost ground in the team
standings, slipping from 14th to 15th spot with a
36-hole total of 577, 18 shots behind the second round
leader – Georgia College and State University.

CSUSB can make up some ground in a hurry on Friday if
the team performs well since they are only eight shots
out of seventh spot and 10 shots out of fourth place.

The 72-hole tournament over the 7,158-yard course
that hosted the PGA Tour’s Houston Open for 12 years
from 1951 to 1963 ends on Saturday.

Webster, a graduate of Arroyo Valley High School in
San Bernardino, played the back nine first in the
morning hours on a day that was cloudy with
temperatures in the mid-70s to low-80s and humidity
around 80 percent.

He bogeyed No. 11, a 238-yard par-3, then got back to
even for the day with a birdie at the 473-yard par-4
12th hole and finished the inward nine with pars. On
the front side, he birdied the 388-yard, par-4 sixth
hole and parred the rest to finish at 69.

Not far behind is Coyotes junior Micah Burke who is
just four shots off the lead but tied for 19th spot in
a closely-contested tournament. Burke improved from
his 72 on opening day to a one-under-par 69 Thursday
to finish 36 holes at 141 – one over par.

Burke made all pars on the back nine and was even
through three holes on the front when he suffered a
bogey at the fourth hole. He got back to even with a
birdie two on the 223-yard, par-3 seventh hole and
closed out his round with a birdie at No. 9, a
409-yard, par 4.

Senior Dane Bagnell improved by one shot Thursday
with a 73 but is tied for 69th spot with a two-day
total of 147 – seven over par. Bagnell played steady
golf, parring all the holes on the back nine and the
first three holes on the front, but made a string of
three straight bogeys at the fourth, fifth and sixth
holes.

Sophomore Joe Alldis slipped from 74 to a 77 on
Thursday to place 94th at 151. Senior Bill Clayton
shot his second consecutive 80 for a non-scoring total
of 160. The fifth highest score is dropped in team
scoring in collegiate golf.

The weather in Houston calls for continued cloudiness
with possible thunderstorm activity on Friday and high
humidity.

2008 NCAA DIVISION II GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
@ Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, TX.
Team scores: 1. Georgia College & State
University – 559; 2. Indianapolis – 564; 3. Clayton
State – 566; 4. (tie) West Florida, Colorado-Colo.
Springs and Grand Canyon – 567; 7. St. Edwards – 569;
8. (tie) Grand Valley State, North Alabama, Nova
Southeastern and Western Washington – 571; 12. (tie)
Belmont Abbey and South Carolina-Aikin — 572; 14.
Florida Southern – 573; 15. CSUSB COYOTES – 577; 16.
Sonoma State – 578; 17. Washburn – 579; 18. Newberry –
586; 19. Indiana (PA) – 586; 20. Bryant – 597.

Individual leaders: 1. (tie) Jude Estaquio (Fla.
Southern) 63-74–137; Kyle Scott (West Florida) 72-65 –
137; 3. (tie) Gene Webster (CSUSB) 69-69–138; Jeff
Goff (South Carolina-Aiken) 67-71 -138; Sean Packer
(West. Washington) 69-69 -138; Billy Shider (Georgia
College) 72-66–138; Will Wilcox (Clayton St.) 66-72 –
138.

CSUSB cards: 3. Gene Webster Jr. – 69-69-138; 19.
Micah Burke – 72-69 – 141; 69 – Dane Bagnell – 74-73 –
147; 94. Joe Alldis – 74-77–151; 104. Bill Clayton –
80-80 – 160.

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