Summer Update!

Dear Cardinal Golf Faithful!!!!

Hard to believe that August is already here. Time during the summer flies by with so much going on in the golf office as well as with the team. I thought I would take some time to post a few updates and hopefully interesting tidbits to get us through until the team arrives back on Sept. 8th!

The Stanford Golf Camp finished up last weekend in good fashion with our very popular Parent / Child Camp. We had a blast and enjoyed some quality golf time with some really neat families. I don't know what is more pressure ... trying to help out a young camper or their Mom and Dad! Everyone enjoyed the weekend and the Stanford Golf Course and Siebel Varisity Golf Complex stole the show. The summer was full of other sessions as well and we had the chance to meet and teach kids from all over the world. Golf is becoming a global game and that is seen in the much larger numbers of kids coming from Asia, France, and South America as an example. We almost hit the 400 person mark this summer with camps and it has been a fun and educational experience for me as co-director with our women's coach, Caroline O'Connor. If you have anyone that might enjoy a camp in the future please steer them towards www.stanfordgolfcamp.com!

The guys have been very active this summer and thanks to Bob Stevens, our webmaster on www.stanfordmensgolf.org, for following their progress so closely. It looks like we will have at least four or five guys in the US AM in a few weeks at Erin Hills which is a neat accomplishment. The USGA exemption this year of the top-50 Am's in the World Ranking into the AM is a great idea and will definitely benefit our guys this summer and down the road. Another fun thing to follow has been the quest of the few of our guys to make the Walker Cup Team which is selected soon and that takes place in Scotland in early September. David Chung, Andrew Yun, and Patrick Rodgers all have a chance so it will be exciting to see if any of them will be chosen for Amateur Golf's version of the Ryder Cup. Of particular note ... incoming frosh Patrick Rodgers had a very impressive win last week in the Porter Cup in Niagra Falls, NY. The Porter Cup is one of the strongest fields all year in Amateur Golf. Patrick had 2 eagles and a birdie on is final nine to come from behind to win. Very impressive for a guy that hasn't yet gotten to college! Well done Patrick. Andrew Yun, Cameron Wilson, and David Chung also had solid finishes.

Coach Rowe and I have spent much of our time this summer on the recruiting trail. It is fun to see how many kids have an intial interest in Stanford University and all that it offers. It becomes our job to figure out who has the game and grades to match up! We have traveled a bunch this summer scouting players and feel good about the developments we have had in the 2012 entry class as well as positive indications in the 2013 and 2014 entry classes. These young guys can really play!!! I didn't even know what under par golf was when I was that age and so many of these young players go low on a regular basis. I must say however that the kids that we like the best are the ones that are not "burnt out" with junior golf. Competing is one thing but if you have an entourage at age 14 complete with swing coach, parents, caddy, work out guru, and sports psyche it might be a bit much. It is amazing what parents today are spending on junior golf and I hope that in the future we can go back to a dynamic that isn't as hyped up as pro golf... it has to be about the competition and score... not the dog and pony show!

Speaking of the show ... the team will report back to campus on September 8th for physicals, meetings, and qualifying. Coach Rowe and I can't wait! Wish it was tomorrow! We will have plenty of work to do before we head off to Olympia Fields and our first event of the season in the Fighting Illini Classic. A very strong filed on a world class course ... all we can ask for. I think it is safe to say that everyone is excited about the prospects for the year but it will require a lot of hard work and proper focus.

Finally, I want to be sure that everyone knows about the Cardinal Golf Classic 2011. The date we have picked this year for our annual fundraiser is Sept. 30th. Come one and all. More info can be found on our website. Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Until next time..... I wish everyone many 1-putts!

Coach Ray

Highlights from NCAA Regionals Team Qualifying Tournament

Since the Pac-10 Championship at Stanford, the team has played four rounds of a team qualifying competition in order to determine the traveling roster for NCAA Regionals at Wolf Run, Indiana.

Here are a few of the Highlights...

Round 1 held on 5/6/11 at The California Golf Club:

It is just a 35 minute drive up to the Cal Club from Stanford but the change in conditions were a bit of a shock... minus 30 degrees fahrenheit and plus 15mph of wind! Nevertheless, scores were very respectable. David Chung and Cameron Wilson tied for low score with 73s whilst Graham Brockington and Steve Kearney shot 74s.

Round 2 held on 5/7/11 at Stanford Golf Course during the Alumni Match:

This time it was cool and breezy on the home track. Low scorers were Messrs. Brockington and Wilson with 72.

The Alumni took full use of their experience and forward tee advantage to beat the Team for the second time in three years!

Click here or on the Results Photo to see Matt Thompson's photo gallery from the Alumni Match on May 7th.

Round 3 held on 5/11/11 at The Olympic Golf Club (Lake Course):

The beautiful and challenging course was somewhat tamed by Steven Kearney who played solidly for a round of 70 to take the low score by two from Steve Ziegler.

Round 3 held on 5/13/11 at Lake Merced Golf Club:

The story of the day was Graham Brockington's clutch round of 69 that won him the low score of the day by 3 from Sihwan Kim who shot a level par 72. With that 3 under par round, Graham also won the qualifying competition by 3 strokes.

Following play at Lake Merced the NCAA Regionals traveling roster was announced. The Team that will play Wolf Run, Indiana are:

1. Andrew Yun

2. David Chung

3. Graham Brockington

4. Steven Kearney

5. Steve Ziegler

Go Cardinal!

Stanford Golf Course - Top 5 Spectator Viewing Spots

As you will know, The Pac-10 Men's Golf Championships will be hosted at Stanford next weekend April 29th - May 1st. Spectators ENTRY IS FREE !

Here is a countdown of the best spots to watch some of the Nation's best players in action on the Stanford Golf Course:

5. 8th/12th/13th holes -

A favorite spot for the golfing connoisseur who likes to watch a bit of everything. From this vantage point you can watch mid iron shots to the 8th hole par 3, drives on the 13th hole par 4 and second shots/chip shots around the 12th hole par 4 signature hole (with the tree in the fairway!)

4. 1st Tee -

Nerves will be jangling over this opening teeshot from elevation. Never mind the Red Barn on the left, players know that a good drive down the fairway will set up a birdie or an eagle but the thick rough either side of the fairway will make their work difficult.

From the vantage point adjacent to the 1st tee there is plenty of activity from the practice putting green, pro-shop and clubhouse.

3. 9th Green -

Sit in the bleachers or on the grass bank and watch some middle of the round action on this interesting par four where players take their drives over the trees and hazard into the fairway. A good drive leaves just a short iron to the green but it is made complicated by uneven stances and a putting surface that is up out of view. Beware some challenging pin positions on this green that has always been notorious for 3 putts!

Close by from this area you can also watch some bombed drives from the 10th and 12th tees.

2. 14th Green -

The grass banks around the 14th green provide a natural stadium that is just as impressive for spectators as it will be for the players themselves as they hit mid irons across the ravine with the beautiful S flowerbed in backdrop.

It is a perfect place to camp out and watch groups pass through or keep an eye on approach shots to the 11th green and teeshots from the 12th tee.

1. 18th Green -

This is the place where all the highs and lows of the previous two days will culminate in victory for one Pac-10 team and Individual Champion. Sit out on the terrace or in the bleachers with a cool beverage and keep an eye on the giant electronic scoreboard as players and teams jockey for the top spot on the leaderboard. Be sure not to miss the winning putt which will be somewhere between 1pm and 3pm on Sunday May 1st!

GO CARDINAL !

Post Season Begins - The Pac-10 Championships at Stanford

Post season is here and kicks off with the Cardinal defending their home turf at the Pac-10 Championships to be held at The Stanford Golf Course (April 29th - May 1st).

By all accounts the Stanford Golf Course is in fabulous playing condition. The greens are firm and fast, the rough is growing and pins are set to be a challenge! Within the Stanford Golf Team, preparations are underway and game plans are being made to navigate the course as well as to do combat with a field jam packed with great teams.

Last season, Andrew Yun shaved a full two shots upon his scoring average between the regular season and the Championship Season. That level of play has certainly carried over and been rewarded with a win as well as five other top 5 place finishes plus with the recent news of a Palmer Cup Team USA selection. Right now as we head into Championship Season, the Cardinal are looking for one or two more of its players to step up a gear alongside Andrew and take a shot at regaining the Pac-10 title that has alluded Stanford since 1994!

This event is a once every 10 years opportunity not to be missed. Come watch the nations best collegiate golfers play the Stanford golf course! Entry is FREE! The Pac-10 and tournament organizers have the venue set up in a very spectator friendly way (more spectator information and a Golf Village activity program to follow).

Go Cardinal!

PS. There are only about 5 Volunteer openings left for "Walking Scorers" during the tournament...

How to Sign Up: (1) use the signup boards in the Stanford Clubhouse hallway; or (2) contact Sue Epstein (email at SueEpstein@aol.com).

Siebel Varsity GTC - PowerPlay Challenge 2/13/11

Cameron Wilson fired an impressive 27 points today to win the first of a series of PowerPlay Challenge events held over the world renowned Siebel Varsity Golf Training Complex.

The PowerPlay version of the game is fun to use in training because its two-flag, risk-reward format offers many opportunities for players to excel through their decisiveness and and ability to execute great golf shots when the consequence stakes are ramped up.

When Cameron hit his 280yard 3wood to just 15 feet on the final hole and had a putt for an eagle on a PowerPlay pin (worth 8points), a runaway 33 point total was on the cards. Ultimately, his "three putt par" proved not to be costly this time around. In a game where a simple "short-sided" error on the final hole can mean the difference between a fancy 24 points or meager 16 points, at least two players were to fall foul of that scenario. Meanwhile, Andrew Yun (playing with Sihwan Kim in the final pairing) might well have snatched victory from CW with a final birdie, however, the firm "Blasi Green" rocketed his ball long and over the out-of-bounds fence onto the 2nd hole of the Stanford Golf Course. Sihwan duly rolled home a birdie to leapfrog his way into 2nd place!

Here is the full rundown of scores:

Rank	Player	Points
1	Cameron Wilson	27
2	Sihwan Kim	24
3	Graham Brockington	23
(4)	Coach Rowe	21
4	Andrew Yun	20
5=	Andre Dedecker	16
5=	Steven Kearney	16
5=	Shane Lebow	16

Here is Sihwan Kim's scorecard for the 24 points that earned him second place:

Hawaii Qualifying Tournament

With a phenomenal final round of 66, David Chung won the Inaugural Stanford Golf "Race to Hawaii" Qualifying Tournament.

Andrew Yun also fired a gallant 68

over the challenging San Francisco Golf Club course

in attempt to overcome a 4 shot deficit but Chung held firm.

Senior Captain, Steve Ziegler, carded four rock solid even par rounds to finish 3rd.

Final Leaderboard:

Rank	Player	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
		(SGC)	(CAL)	(SGC)	(SF)
1	Chung	68	71	69	66	274 (-9)
2	Yun	73	71	68	68	280 (-3)
3	Ziegler	70	72	70	71	283
4	Wilson	69	74	72	75	290
5	Brockington	73	76	75	74	298
6	Dedecker	69	76	79	77	301
7	Lebow	72	79	74	77	302
8	Kearney	82	73	73	75	303
9	Bowen	79	74	79	74	306
10	Kim	80	73	76	RTD	RTD

Round 4 scores - San Francisco Golf Club (Par 71):

66 - David Chung

68 - Andrew Yun

71 - Steve Ziegler

74 - Graham Brockington

74 - Wilson Bowen

75 - Cameron Wilson

75 - Steven Kearney

77 - Shane Lebow

77 - Andre Dedecker

RTD - Sihwan Kim

It's not every day that people shoot 66 at San Francisco Golf Club, and it will certainly be one to remember... (!)

Round 3 scores - Stanford Golf Course (Par 70):

68 - Andrew Yun

69 - David Chung

70 - Steve Ziegler

72 - Cameron Wilson

73 - Steven Kearney

74 - Shane Lebow

75 - Graham Brockington

76 - Sihwan Kim

79 - Andre Dedecker

79 - Wilson Bowen

It was a beautiful day out on the Stanford Golf Course. Thanks to all Club members who came along to watch. We hope you enjoyed the spectacle!

Round 2 scores - California Golf Club (Par 72):

71 - David Chung

(35-36 with 4 birdies and 3 bogies)

71 - Andrew Yun

(3 under 33 back nine with a total of 4 birdies for the day)

72 - Steve Ziegler

(birdied holes 5,6,7,12 and 17 with an extraordinary recovery shot and hole out)

73 - Sihwan Kim

(3 birdies and a bogie free back nine)

73 - Steven Kearney

(sub par leader with an eagle on the first and birdies on holes 8, 11 and 17)

74 - Wilson Bowen

(birdied holes 7 and 16)

74 - Cameron Wilson

(birdied holes 3, 15 and 17 with a nice chip and putt)

76 - Graham Brockington

(a lone birdie captured on video... watch!)

76 - Andre Dedecker

(birdied holes 1 and 11)

79 - Shane Lebow

(opened with a birdie but still recovering from congestion)

Click here to see the full playlist of videos from today's round.

Round 1 scores - Stanford Golf Course (Par 70):

RANK : NAME : SCORE : VIDEO

1 : David Chung : 68 (-2) :

(solid nines of 33 and 35 with four birdies and just two bogies)

2= : Cameron Wilson : 69 :

(Cameron birdied all the par 4s on the front nine, parred all the par fives but bogied all the par 3s. 9 straight pars on the back nine!)

2= : Andre Dedecker : 69 :

(bounced back from a hiccup double bogie 5 on hole 14 with birdies on holes 15 and 16)

4 : Steve Ziegler : 70 :

(a clutch back nine of 33 with birdies on holes 11 and 14)

5 : Shane Lebow : 72 :

(feeling a little under the weather but with nines of 34 and 38 Shane kept up the energy through the round pretty well)

6= : Andrew Yun : 73 :

(a difficult pin position on hole 3 caught out several players including Andrew who made a very rare 3 putt from short range. He drained a long birdie putt on hole 18 to exact some revenge before the day was done)

6= : Graham Brockington : 73 :

(Perhaps the most physically fit man on the team, Graham's hard work is now showing through in his play. His shot of the day is captured in the video above with a 3 wood second shot deep into the green on the 510 yard uphill par 5 hole 16. It is as though he has an extra gear when he needs it!)

8 : Wilson Bowen : 79 :

(A tough day on the greens meant a round without birdies despite many opportunities)

9 : Sihwan Kim : 80 :

(A round peppered with double bogies meant a rocky road start for Sihwan. It was a similar story last Fall season and likewise he will quickly put things to rights)

10 : Steve Kearney : 82 :

(some good swings out there not reflected in the score... onward to Cal Club!)

Guest appearance from Volunteer Assistant Coach...

4= : Rob Grube : 70 :

(pro solid nines of 35 and 35)

See the full playlist of today's videos here.

Next Qualifying Round will be held on Saturday January 22nd at the California Golf Club...