The Collegian

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Sports

Juniors Josh Kelley and Michael McRae placed third and 12th in the Del Walker Intercollegiate Invitational, leading the Gaels to the first place title.

On the 18th hole of the third and final round, junior golfer Josh Kelley sank a 15-foot birdie putt to help the Gaels win the team title at the Del Walker Intercollegiate Invitational last week.

"I knew it was worth something. All the teams were watching it. I kind of knew I had to make it, I knew it was close, and one shot could totally make a difference," said Kelley. "I just did it. It was a total sense of relief. It was a sense of satisfaction, everyone cheering for me at the end. I could finally take a deep breath."

The Gaels won the Del Walker Invitational on a tiebreaker, after tying Arkansas for first place with an overall score of 856. The tiebreaker was determined by the score of each team's fifth player. Freshman Robert McRae shot a 74 which edged Arkansas' Andrew Landry by one shot. McRae was four over par on the front nine but sank a birdie in the back nine to ensure the team title.

Saint Mary's beat 14 teams in the tournament, including West Coast Conference (WCC) rivals San Diego, Santa Clara, and last year's champion Loyola Marymount.

The Gaels were paced on the final day by junior Brett Mormann who shot one under 70. This was his career best as a Gael, beating his previous low by three strokes.

"Overall, our performance was phenomenal. We couldn't have done it better. All of us had a good attitude. We executed it beautifully," said Kelley.

Freshman Patrick Duncan had the best round for the Gaels, shooting two under par 69 in his opening round. Duncan's performance was second best on the team and good for an eighth place finish in the individual competition, shooting one over par, 214 for the tournament.

Talking of his two freshmen teammates, Duncan, and Robert McRae, Kelley said, "They were definitely the rock. They were playing four and five. Performing extremely well in their first tournament, it was huge for us. It took the pressure off of the three juniors."

Kelley led the team with a three round total of 213, tying him for third individually. "I missed first place by one stroke. I definitely think I am going to win one collegiate tournament this year."

The Gaels look to build upon their strong start to the season. Last year, the Gaels finished fourth in the WCC, failing to advance to the NCAA tournament.

This year the Gaels are hoping to change that by looking to make the NCAA regional as a team and advancing from there.

They will be led by Kelley and junior Michael McRae who shot a 215, tying him for 12th place in the tournament. McRae was named to the All-West Coast Conference team last year as a sophomore.

Kelley said, "We've been working extremely hard. We worked hard for it as a team, and the team effort was unbelievable."

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