March 14, 2007

Submitted by: Matthew Hicks, The University of Mobile

MOBILE, Ala--The University of Mobile men's and women's golf squads rallied for victories on the final day of the UM Spring Fling at the Azalea City Golf Course Tuesday.

The field included 18 teams overall and 6 combined squads in the NAIA Top-26. The Mobile men are ranked 26th and Lindenwood's men are ranked 16th. The women's side of things features 4 ranked teams. Lady Rams are ranked #10, William Woods is #13, Northwood(TX) is #23, and Trevecca Nazarene rounds out the group at #24.

Mobile's men trailed Faulkner State Community College by 6 strokes after shooting a 303 on day one. But, the Rams rallied on the final day to fire a collective 289, the best single-round score in the  field, to edge Spring Hill College by 3 strokes. Mobile finished with a 2-round total of 592, while the Badgers shot a 595 over the two day event at Azalea City Golf Course.

The Lady Rams made a bigger comeback, as they trailed Northwood University (TX) by 13 strokes after the first round of play on Monday. Mobile bettered their round 1 score of 332 by 24 strokes, to shoot a 308 on the final day, which was the best single-round score of any women's team, and finish with a total of 640. That put them 15 strokes ahead of Northwood for the tournament.

For the Rams, Tommy Bell and Jacy Todd fired a 70 and 71, respectively on Day 2 to place 1^st and 2^nd on the day, while Chris Kennedy(76), Braxton Gillespie (75), and Glenn Williams(73) also shot solid rounds. Bell's round 2 score of 70 was the best of anyone at the tournament.

The Lady Rams rebound was made with great improvement from a couple of the golfers. Maegan Rice rebounded from an opening-round 85, to fire a 73 Tuesday, while Samantha Goettsch shaved 9 strokes off her score to shoot a 76. Kelly Rainbolt maintained her stellar play by following an opening-round 80 with a 78. Rice and Rainbolt finished tied for 3rd, while Goettsch tied for 6th.

Alberto Bellester and John Darby tied for top honors among the men's play by shooting 1-under par for the tournament with 143's. Bethany Pesek and Amanda Purcell placed 1 and 2 in the women's play. Pesek, from Northwood, shot an 8-over 152, while William Woods' Purcell shot a 155.