The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
NCAA Men's Golf Austin Regional: Round two quotes
05.15.2009 | Men's Golf
May 15, 2009
TEXAS HEAD COACH John Fields (first place in team standings at 8-over-par 576)
On the team's second-round effort: I was really proud of the guys. You have to start with Lance Lopez with that 69 today and the birdie on the last hole. He knocked it in there with a 7-iron into a difficult pin (placement). I think that kind of summed up our day. It was a great day for the Longhorns.
On entering the final round with the tournament lead: It's definitely better than the alternative. It is exciting for us. I think our guys are really going to enjoy that tomorrow. They know they've got another great day in them tomorrow. I'm sure the conditions tomorrow will be difficult, just like they were today. So, we'll get focused and ready for tomorrow. What they need to do is play one shot at a time. They need to enjoy themselves and this great facility that we have. They need to go out there and play the best that they possibly can and see where that puts us in the end. But, right now, this team is playing some really fine golf, and they should be proud of that.
TEXAS JUNIOR Lance Lopez (individual leader at 5-under-par 137)
On his second-round performance: I turned at 2-over-par (after the first nine), and I wasn't happy with that. I felt like I had nine good holes in me, and it was time to get it together. I shot 4-under-par on the back and turned in the 69. It's a great, great feeling to help the team and show them I'm able to play and step up when I need to. It means a great deal, and everyone has been supportive. I just want to go out there and take it one shot at a time.
TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH GREG SANDS (second place in team standings at 10-over-par 578)
On Texas Tech's second-round performance: We didn't make many birdies compared to yesterday. Ultimately, we want to finish in the top-five here, and we're in position to do that. There's nothing specific that killed us today, just that we didn't play as well as we did yesterday.
On tomorrow's final round: I think we'll get a few more putts to drop tomorrow. It looks like we feel comfortable out there, but we just couldn't get the putts to fall today for the birdie opportunities we were looking for.
FLORIDA HEAD COACH BUDDY ALEXANDER (third place in team standings at 12-over-par 580)
On Florida's second-round performance: It could have been a whole lot better. You're always disappointed when you waste a few shots coming in. Billy (Horschel) had a tough time on 14 and made an eight (par-5), as he just took an aggressive line. I was there. I was a part of it, and in retrospect, we'd like to play that one a little differently. Tyson (Alexander) played a good round, and Tim (McKenney) went out first for us and shot even par. Our two juniors didn't play too well for us yesterday, but they played great today.
On the team mentality entering Saturday's final round: There's always got to be a goal of trying to win if you're capable of that. Don't get me wrong. We'd love to stamp our ticket to Toledo, but while we're here, we might as well try to win. The mentality and the mindset of these guys is that we're here to win this tournament.
UNLV JUNIOR EDDIE OLSON (second place in individual standings at 1-under-par 141)
On his second-round 2-under-par 69: I hit a lot of greens today and gave myself a lot of chances. The course is still a tough one, but I've been playing solid the last two days and have kept myself out of position to make high numbers. I'm very pleased with both of my rounds.
On UNLV's fourth-place standing on the leaderboard: We're really pleased with where we stand heading into tomorrow's round. We've all worked together to put us in this position, and now it's down to just one more day.
FLORIDA JUNIOR TYSON ALEXANDER (low second-round score of 3-under-par 68)
On his 3-under-par 68: I didn't make any mistakes other than bogeying the third hole. Other than that, I just beat up on the par-5s and it all seemed pretty easy.
On the second-round conditions: I think the wind became a factor late in the day. The course seems to be playing about the same, but the wind is more like it was for our practice round (Wednesday). For the most part, it seemed similar to yesterday (Thursday) though, so I'm not sure why the scores are a little bit higher.
JACKSON STATE FRESHMAN CLAY MYERS (hole-in-one at No. 8 using a 4-iron)
On recording his first ace in a collegiate tournament: It was 215 (yards) to the pin and the wind was blowing in my face. My coach told me to hit my 3-iron because the previous player in my group did, and I said, `No, coach, I think it's a 4-iron.' I stepped above it, hit the 4-iron and with the draw, it landed about four feet above the hole and went in. It was my first hole-in-one in a college tournament, and just my second ever.
