![[ SPORTS ]](/images/sports97.gif)
Arizona Daily Wildcat May 14, 1997
Golf continues to excell
The Arizona women's golf team followed up last year's national championship by holding the number one ranking in the country from the beginning of the season until late March, and by taking first place overall in five of its 10 tournaments, including a stunning fifteen-stroke, come-from-behind victory over Arizona State at the Pacific 10 Conference Championships.Sophomore Marisa Baena, last year's Pac-10, Regional and National Champion, continued her reign as collegiate golf queen, winning the title at four of the six events in which she competed. She also took second at last month's Pac-10 tourney.
Arizona also had solid performances from junior Heather Graff and sophomore Krissie Register, who returned from last year.
Graff, the only upperclassman of the squad to receive considerable playing time, finished no worse than 17th in her nine tournament appearances, placing in the top-10 three times.
Register recorded two top-10 finishes including a second place finish at the LSU-Fairfield Invitational and her tie for fourth place at the Pac-10 Championships.
Also contributing to the Wildcats cause were a pair of outstanding freshman, Jill Gomric and Jenna Daniels.
Gomric carded five top-10 finishes, matching Baena's total, including a low round of 71 in her first tourney of the year.
Daniels finshed in the top-5 twice this season, including her tie for fourth with Register at the conference championships.
The Wildcats finished second at the Western Regional Championships last week in Tucson, thereby qualifying for the NCAA Championships which start one week from today.
2nd place finishes abound for UA men
The Arizona men's golf team fought through weather and close finishes to come away with a number of solid performances throughout the 1996-97 season.
The highlight of the season came back in October, when the Wildcats took home the title in the innaugural Rolex Team Match Play Championships, defeating then No. 1-ranked UNLV in the final match.
Following that victory, Arizona went on to take second place in four of it's nine remaining tournaments.
The Wildcats were lead by the outstanding play of junior Rory Sabbatini, runner-up to Tiger Woods at last years NCAA Championships.
Sabbatini finished in the top-10 in eight of his 13 tournaments, including back-to-back second place finishes in the John Burns Intercollegiate and the Aldila Golf Classic.
Sabbatini also led the team in strokes per round average at 73.18.
Senior Gary Matthews and freshman Derek Gillespie also helped the cause, as they finished in the top-10 in three and two tournaments respectively.
The Wildcats will take part in the Regional Championships in Santee, Calif., May 15-17.
If they qualify, Arizona will compete in the NCAA National Championships May 28-31 in Chicago, Ill.
