Nallen, men's golf take titles at Hall of Fame Invitational


By From staff and wire reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, March 22, 2004

The Arizona men's golf team won its third team title of the season yesterday at the Hall of Fame Invitational in Humble, Texas.

Senior Chris Nallen took the individual title in the event after shooting 2-under-par 70 in yesterday's final round to put him at 202 (-14) for the tournament. He finished six strokes ahead of his nearest competitor while winning his third title of the year.

As a team, Arizona shot 2-under 286 yesterday to finish at 846 (-18) for the weekend, six strokes ahead of Oklahoma State.

"Of course we rode Chris Nallen," head coach Rick LaRose said. "He's our horse, and when he gets off to a good start, it takes a lot of heat off the other guys."

The team title was the UA's seventh in the last 13 months, marking the most productive period for the program since 1993.

Nallen, a Hackettstown, N.J., native, claimed his fifth career win, moving him into a third-place tie on the UA career list.

Freshman Henry Liaw tied for sixth place at 5-under-par 211. Junior Nathan Lashley tied for 12th at 2-under 214.

The UA men will return to action this weekend at the 2004 National Invitational Tournament, which the team will host at Omni Tucson National Golf Course.