Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
December 3, 1997

UA men's golfers overtake top ranking

Arizona Daily Wildcat Rory Sabbatini

Nineteen-year veteran head coach Rick LaRose has his golf teams moving in the right direction and have the rankings to show it.

The Arizona men's golf team took over the nation's top ranking in the this week's Mastercard Intercollegiate Golf Rankings. The UA women are ranked No. 2.

The Wildcats, who began the fall season ranked sixth, overtook Georgia's in the Mastercard final fall rankings.

Individually, senior Rory Sabbatini moved up one spot to No. 2, junior Andy Barnes dropped one spot to fifth, and sophomore Derek Gillespie came in at No. 12.

Sabbatini won the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate tournament last month and has been the team's No. 1 golfer for two years.

The highest ranked female Wildcat is junior Krissie Register. Register is ranked seventh after winning the Golf World Invitational in Hilton Head, S.C., on Nov. 16 with a three-round total of 3-over-par 219. The title was the second of Register's career.

Teammate sophomore Shannon Ingalls came is ranked No. 22 and former national champion Marisa Baena is down to No. 34. Baena is considered one of the nation's best but has struggled so far recovering from injury that has forced her to withdrawal from tournament play.

UA senior Heather Graff of Kenniwick, Wash. moved up 33 spots in the rankings from 90 to 57 and sophomore Jill Gomric rounded out the ranked Wildcats at No. 82.

Both the Wildcat men and women return to action Feb. 2-3 at the Ping Arizona Intercollegiate held at the Raven Golf Course in Tucson.