MUS Sports News

Owl Golfers Finish Second at Region

With their second-place finish at the Division II West Regional Golf Tournament, held at Orgill Park on September 16, the varsity Owl golf team earned a berth in the state tourney, to be played at The Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain Golf Course in Crossville, Tennessee, on September 28, 2004.

The Owls finished four strokes behind first-place SBEC and three strokes ahead of ECS, the third-place finisher.  Junior Alex Snyder finished fifth at the regional, shooting a 72, while Bobby Hudson and Richard White each shot 73, Dev Varma had 74, and Peter Dale shot 79.

Led by first-year coach Greg King, the Owls have had a great regular season going into the state tournament as they have posted a 16-1 record.  Victories over Briarcrest, CBHS, Harding, and SBEC have highlighted this fine season as the Owls look to better last season’s 2003 state runner-up finish.

In addition to the young men who represented MUS in the regional tournament, other varsity Owl golfers include senior Clint Cowan, junior Bowers Clement, sophomores Adam Bomar and Daniel Brown, and eighth-grader Drew Frisby.

Golfers Finish Strong to Claim Second at State

The MUS varsity golf team finished another outstanding season by placing second in the state tournament, held October 7-8 at the Bear Trace golf course at Tims Ford State Park in Winchester, Tennessee.

Most years, the 580 team score that the Owls put up would have been enough to bring the title back to Memphis. After all, their score tied for the third lowest 36-hole team score in state-tournament history. Yet Baylor's 565, which smashed the previous 36-hole record by eight strokes, was more than enough as the Red Raiders won another state championship.

MUS knew they had a staunch challenge ahead of them going into the tournament with Baylor and other solid squads competing. But the Owls were in striking distance after day one with some solid individual rounds.

Senior Scott Tashie led the way with a sizzling 68 to place him second individually behind Baylor's Seth Brandon, who shot a 63 to tie the lowest 18-hole individual score.

Sophomore Bobby Hudson contributed to the Owls' run with a solid 73 in round one while freshman Daniel Brown was not intimidated during his first state-tournament round as he posted a 74. Junior Richard White and sophomore Alex Synder rounded out the MUS scoring as both shot 79 on day one. These combined scores had the Owls in third place, ten strokes behind Baylor.

MUS knew they would need to shoot some better rounds and have Baylor become normal again to have a chance to catch the Red Raiders. The Owl golfers definitely did their part.

Tashie continued to shoot under par as he posted a 69 and finish runner-up, seven strokes behind Brandon. Hudson improved by six shots as he finished with a 67 on day two to finish fourth overall. Synder shot a 71, eight strokes better than the first day, while Brown's 79 and White's 82 rounded out the scoring for the Owls.

Their second day total of 286 allowed them to move up and challenge, but Baylor kept the pressure on, posting a 281, to win going away.

The runner-up finish culminated a stellar year for the team, led by Coach Ronnie Wenzler, as they posted a 21-3 overall record. Tashie, White, Hudson, Synder, and Brown were joined by sophomores Bowers Clement and Phillip DeBardeleben, junior Clint Cowan, and seniors Will Owens and Scott Warren to make up the team that began the season with four straight match wins. After tough losses to Houston, CBHS, and SBEC, MUS rebounded to beat ECS heading into the postseason.

The Owls showed they would be a state contender with their performance at the sectional tournament, held at Orgill, as they posted a 288, seven shots ahead of CBHS. Hudson was the medalist of the tournament as he shot a 67, three shots ahead of the runner-up. The Owls then continued their solid play at the state tourney to finish with second in the state.

Owl Golfers Challenge, Finish in Third

The MUS varsity golf team completed an outstanding season with a third-place finish at the Division II State Tournament, held October 15 and 16 at the Pickwick State Park course in Savannah, Tennessee.

The Owls were in excellent position after day one of the two-day tournament.  MUS, led by 75’s from senior Alex DeBardeleben and junior Scott Tashie, had pulled even with Chattanooga Baylor, seeking their fourth consecutive state title, and finished tied for first.  Other Owl scores included freshman Bobby Hudson’s 78, freshman Alex Synder’s 81, and senior Michael Murphy’s 82.  Though these scores were good enough to give MUS a great opportunity to win their first state title since 1996, each player knew that he had a better round in him to push for that championship.

However, on day two, while the Owls still were consistent and played well, they did not shoot the improved scores they needed to claim the title as Chattanooga McCallie won, shooting a combined 609 and finishing 10 shots ahead of the Owls.  Baylor finished second, shooting a combined 614 total, while MUS shook off their third-place sectional showing to best the other West Tennessee schools with a 619 total.

Second day rounds included Hudson’s 76, Tashie’s 77, Murphy’s 78, Synder’s 79, and DeBardeleben’s 81.

The third-place finish did not diminish the great season the Owls and Coach Ronnie Wenzler put together.

MUS completed the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record, including some outstanding team wins over Briarcrest, CBHS, SBEC, and ECS.  The Briarcrest victory was a narrow two-shot win, while the win over SBEC occurred in a sudden-death playoff as DeBardeleben shot a 34, the low round of the day.  Thus, the Owls were perfect heading into the sectional tournament.

MUS tasted defeat for the first time at the sectional tourney held at Orgill Golf Course.  The Owls came in third, bested by Briarcrest and CBHS.  Though the fourteen-stroke loss to the Saints was difficult for the team, the defeat refocused the team and lit a fire underneath them as they headed to Pickwick and state.

Then at the state tourney, the Owls put themselves in a position to win only to come up a little short.

This year’s team consisted of more than just the five Owls who played at state.  In addition to DeBardeleben, Murphy, Tashie, Hudson, and Synder, other team members included juniors Matt Ganier, Will Owens, and Scott Warren, and sophomores Watt Efird and Richard White.

With a good young nucleus returning next year, MUS will again be a competitor for a title.

MUS Golfers Claim Fourth at State

The MUS varsity golf team participated in the Division II State Golf Tournament last week at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro as the Owls' top-five players traveled to battle the best amongst the other Division II schools.

MUS knew the task of winning the title would be difficult with two-time defending state champion Baylor fielding another strong squad, but the Owls hoped to compete hard and see what would unfold.

After day one, the Owls had put themselves in a good position. Even though MUS was in third place, they were only 8 shots out of the lead behind Baylor and only 1 stroke behind second-place ECS.

Scott Tashie led the Owls with a 75 on the par-72 course. Other Owl finishers included Alex DeBardeleben's 76, Brice Bailey's 77, Mike Murphy's 78, and Clay Chapman's 86. Though MUS was in third, each player felt good as they knew they could shoot a better score on day two.

However, the Owls were not able to close the gap on the second day. Baylor scored 17 strokes better than they had on day one to win the event easily with a total of 579. Baylor's Luke List won the individual title with a 72-68 -- 140 total.

MUS could not put together a better day two as they battled ECS and CBHS for second. The Owls shot three strokes worse than they had the day before, a lapse that allowed CBHS to sneak ahead and take third as ECS shot 611, CBHS 612, and MUS 619.

The Owls' Tashie was MUS' highest finisher as he shot a 73 on day two to claim 5th overall individually with a score of 148. Brice Bailey finished with an 80, DeBardeleben an 81, Murphy an 83, and Chapman a 79 on the final day.

Though MUS did not see the results that they were hoping for, this team firmly believes that better days lie ahead. With only one senior on this year's squad, the Owls plan to be a threat in future years.