49er
golf playoff hopes in the air
By Toby Lewis
On-line Forty-Niner
 Cold
temperatures, blowing wind and miserable
conditions played a key role in the Long
Beach State men’s golf team’s tie for second
place finish at the Big West Conference
championships Tuesday, head coach Bob Livingstone
said.
“We dug ourselves in a hole in the first
round. The temperature was 48 degrees, the
wind was blowing. It was miserable,” Livingstone
said.
The Beach finished the first round at Serrano
Country Club in El Dorado Hills in fourth
place with a combined team score of 300,
six shots behind the leaders, UC Irvine
and Cal Poly.
The three-round tournament was cut short
by rain Monday and concluded Tuesday after
36 holes instead of the slated 54 holes.
In the final round The Beach shot 289, moving
the team into a three-way tie for second
place with Idaho and Cal Poly.
The women’s golf team finished the first
round in the stormy weather in fourth place
with a team score of 330.
Unable to climb out of the number four spot,
The Beach finished the final round Tuesday
with 324, giving the team a two-round total
of 654 and a fourth place finish overall.
The fourth place finish at the Big West
Conference tournament gives The Beach women’s
team little chance of making it to the NCAA
regional championships in May, Livingstone
said.
Livingstone said that the men’s team, however,
does have a chance to make it.
A first place finish at the tournament would
have given The Beach an automatic bid to
the NCAA regionals, said Steve Janisch,
Assistant Athletic Director for Long Beach
State.
Now The Beach is at the mercy of the NCAA
selection committee, who will decide which
teams will make it to the tournament.
“The committee will select a few ‘at large’
teams to fill out the rest of the bracket.
Right now, we are kind of borderline. [At
large selection] is based on how you’ve
done throughout the year,” Janisch said.
The selection committee will look at how
well the teams played in conference play
or they can consider how well the team has
played against some of the top teams in
the nation throughout the season, Livingstone
said.
The selection committee will announce which
“at large” teams will make in to the tournament
on May 5.
After the Big West Conference Championships,
six Long Beach State golfers were given
All-Big West Conference honors Wednesday.
Junior Torey Edwards was selected second
team all-league after finishing the tournament
with an individual score of 149 tied for
13th place.
Junior Chris Gilley and senior Tyler Mays
both earned honorable mention accolades
after finishing fourth and tied for fifth,
respectively, at the tournament.
For the women, freshman Hayley Wilkinson
was selected first team All-Big West. Wilkinson
finished the Big West Championships tied
for 13th overall with a score of 164 for
36 holes.
Senior Teal Thron and junior Mary Louise
Juul were both second team selections.
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