2008 Woodie Awards
Mules swing for title
Ryan Gibbs
Issue date: 4/13/06 Section: Features
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The Mules' golf team will try to keep its momentum as it heads into the MIAA Championship Tournament Monday and Tuesday in Blue Springs, Mo.
The golfers, tied with Washburn at No. 2 in the conference and only two points behind top-ranked Missouri Western State, feel confident because all of them have experience playing at the Country Club of Blue Springs, the site of the event.
"There are many birdie opportunities on that course," said Ty Needels, freshman.
Both Needels and coach Tim Poe said the key will be keeping the ball in the fairway, away from the course's tree line. The short length of the course also lends itself to scoring.
"I'm known for keeping the ball in the fairway," Needels said. "So I can shoot a low score there."
The MIAA tries to hold the conference championship tournament in a different location every two years. The Country Club of Blue Springs hosted the competition last year, and the Mules finished second.
The team returned home Tuesday after a second-place finish at the Ironhorse Intercollegiate Tournament in Leawood, Kan. Junior Danny Markham finished in a tie for second individually.
"I'm hitting the ball well, and I have confidence in my game," Markham said. "I feel like I can pull off the tough shots."
The team found itself in fourth place after the first round, which made winning the tournament unlikely. The golfers rebounded with a combined score of 290 on the second day, the low round of the tournament.
"I'm proud of the way we played as a team on the second day," Markham said. "We're on a high going into the conference championship."
Conditions were made difficult by the wind, particularly during the first round. Poe said the course also played long during the first round and was shortened for the second round.
"It was a good course and a nice test for us," he said.
As the spring season draws to a close, Poe said he likes the way his team has been in position to win tournaments, yet the main goal has yet to be accomplished-winning the conference championship.
The golfers, tied with Washburn at No. 2 in the conference and only two points behind top-ranked Missouri Western State, feel confident because all of them have experience playing at the Country Club of Blue Springs, the site of the event.
"There are many birdie opportunities on that course," said Ty Needels, freshman.
Both Needels and coach Tim Poe said the key will be keeping the ball in the fairway, away from the course's tree line. The short length of the course also lends itself to scoring.
"I'm known for keeping the ball in the fairway," Needels said. "So I can shoot a low score there."
The MIAA tries to hold the conference championship tournament in a different location every two years. The Country Club of Blue Springs hosted the competition last year, and the Mules finished second.
The team returned home Tuesday after a second-place finish at the Ironhorse Intercollegiate Tournament in Leawood, Kan. Junior Danny Markham finished in a tie for second individually.
"I'm hitting the ball well, and I have confidence in my game," Markham said. "I feel like I can pull off the tough shots."
The team found itself in fourth place after the first round, which made winning the tournament unlikely. The golfers rebounded with a combined score of 290 on the second day, the low round of the tournament.
"I'm proud of the way we played as a team on the second day," Markham said. "We're on a high going into the conference championship."
Conditions were made difficult by the wind, particularly during the first round. Poe said the course also played long during the first round and was shortened for the second round.
"It was a good course and a nice test for us," he said.
As the spring season draws to a close, Poe said he likes the way his team has been in position to win tournaments, yet the main goal has yet to be accomplished-winning the conference championship.