By Patrick Klein

Arizona Daily Wildcat

It was the same old story for the Arizona men's golf team this weekend at the Thunderbird ASU Intercollegiate.

The team again found itself in a hole after the first round.

This time, though, the Wildcats were solid early on, shooting a three-over- par 291 in the first round. Still, Arizona found itself trailing Oklahoma State, which shot a 277 in the first round of the 54-hole tournament in Tempe.

A second-round rally brought Arizona into a tie for fourth place, and the Wildcats stayed there all weekend, finishing the tournament 25 shots behind host ASU.

With the regular season complete, Arizona has two weeks until the Pacific 10 Conference Championships, and the team now faces some difficult choices.

Only three of the five postseason spots are filled, and several Wildcats are vying for the final spots.

Of those on the bubble, Tim Beans had the best showing in Tempe, firing a one-under-par 215, which was good enough for 11th place overall and first among the Wildcats.

Other possible contenders for the traveling team include Jay Pennypacker, who shot a 220, the third-lowest UA score; Gary Matthews, at 222 this weekend; and Mike Jones, who carded a 223.

But it was the three regulars who played hot and cold. Jason Gore warmed up to defend his Pac-10 title with a 17th place tie at 217, while Ted Purdy, handicapped by a first-round 78, finished tied for 37th at 221. Read Next Article