Feb. 14, 2012

Final Results

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Despite playing the 54-hole event with only four competitors due to an injury to a fifth, Louisiana Tech defeated a pair of top 50 ranked teams and finished seventh in the 15-team UTSA Oak Hills Invitational played at Oak Hills Country Club.

The Bulldogs played the entire tournament minus senior Cody Santone, who was forced to withdrawal early in Monday's first round due to an injury. In college golf where each school enters five competitors but only counts the top four scores each round, this prevented head coach Jeff Parks and Co. from having that luxury.

However, despite the obstacle, the Bulldogs shot a three-round total of 28-over-par 880 to defeat 38th ranked Tulsa and 40th ranked Iowa State as well as six other teams. Five of the six teams that finished ahead of the Bulldogs are ranked in the top 50 in the country.

"I'm ecstatic," Parks said. "When you only tee off with four golfers, you know you can't drop a score and it adds pressure. I was proud of the way we stepped up and played with just four. If we had played four against four, we would have done extremely well. If Cody could have played, he would have. He was injured. There is a difference between being hurt and injured."

Texas Tech (859) captured the team competition followed by 34th ranked Oklahoma (862), 32nd ranked Baylor (865), 37th ranked North Texas (873), 50th ranked UL-Lafayette (873) and 27th ranked Wichita State (874), LA Tech (880), Texas State (882), Houston (884), Southeastern Louisiana (888), 38th ranked Tulsa (890), 40th ranked Iowa State (892), UTSA (892), Kansas State (897) and Rice (918).

Jonathan Bale was Tech's top finisher as the senior posted a three-round total of six-over-par 219 followed by Cody Blankenship and Travis Wilmore tied at 25th with 220 and Sam Forgan tied for 30th at 221. Forgan posted the best round of the final day for Tech with a two-under-par 69.

"If everybody else knocked out their No. 2 guy, we would be okay, but we had to play with the hand we were dealt," Parks said. "They stepped up and played. Bale didn't have his best stuff today. Sam didn't have his best stuff yesterday afternoon. Other than that we played well.

"Cody Blankenship started with two bogeys today and ended up with 16 straight pars. For him to even be competing in a college tournament is cool. A year ago, he was having a plate and 13 screws put in his arm from his elbow to his should after a snowboarding accident."

Tech returns to action Monday when it competes in the Rice Intercollegiate at Westwood Golf Club.