The No. 21 Arizona men's golf team tees off today in their final regular-season tournament, as it competes in the 2005 U.S. Intercollegiate Championships at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, Calif.
"We're playing this tournament as a tuneup," said Arizona assistant coach John Knauer. "I'm kind of anxious to see what's going to happen."
The Wildcats are coming off a third place finish (17-over 869) at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational April 8-9 in Tempe.
Senior Kipp Riehle, senior Nathan Lashley, and sophomore Henry Liaw finished first, second and tied for third, respectively.
Riehle claimed his first career individual victory as a Wildcat as he finished with a 7-under 206.
"Kipp's performance was a little bit of a surprise," Knauer said. "He's from Phoenix, and it's kind of a hometown deal."
Stanford also hosts the 2005 NCAA West Regional May 19-21.
"If we don't play our best this week it won't kill us," Knauer said. "The most important thing is for our guys to see the course."
The two-day, 54-hole event is a par-71 course with a 6,786-yard layout at which the Wildcats did not play last year.
Four of the 18 teams in the field are ranked in the GCAA/Bridgestone Top-25 Coaches Poll, including No. 7 ASU, No. 14 UCLA, No. 16 USC and Arizona.
The Arizona junior varsity golf team shot an even-par 280 to finish in sixth place Tuesday at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Scottsdale.
"We're looking for that horse that will really take it low," Knauer said. "The postseason is a entirely different animal. You really need someone to take the bull by the horns."