Friday October 19, 2001

Arizona entered last weekend's Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate Tournament in Birmingham, Ala., with a new look for an underachieving team.

With poor scores coming in from the bottom of the lineup, UA head coach Rick LaRose said last week that he would be willing to try something new in the lineup.

LaRose turned to senior Tim Weiss to get the team back on track. Weiss, who hasn't played in a varsity tournament since the 1999 NCAA Tournament, was up for the challenge.

Posting a 4-over par 217, Weiss played well enough to finish in a tie for 21st. Weiss' score was the third lowest of his collegiate career.

Although the team received a welcome surprise from Weiss, the rest of the team continued to play below its No. 2 ranking.

The team finished with a 10-over par 862, which put the Wildcats in a tie for fourth place. Leading the way for the Wildcats was junior Reid Hatley, who finished at even par for the tournament, which put him in a tie for seventh place. This was Hatley's first top-10 finish of the season.

Junior Ricky Barnes, the pre-season No. 1 player in the country, continued to struggle again this weekend. After a solid first two rounds of 72 and 70, Barnes posted a disappointing 79 in the final round, bringing his final total to an 8-over par 221 and a tie for 28th.

This tournament marked the end of the men's golf fall season. A team that started the season No. 2 in the country failed to finish higher than third in all four tournaments they played.

Barnes and Sophomore Chris Nallen will both be in action at the individual-only Savane All-American Golf Tournament in El Paso, Texas, Nov. 19-20.