The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Mauna Lani Invitational
Hudson claims medalist honors as No. 14 Men's Golf takes fourth at Mauna Lani Invitational
02.05.2010 | Men's Golf
Feb. 5, 2010
Final Results 
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii -- Texas junior Bobby Hudson headed a stellar day for the Longhorns by rallying from three shots back and firing a 6-under 66 to claim his second career collegiate title by one stroke Friday at the 22-team, 120-player Mauna Lani Invitational.
Playing in a loaded tournament field featuring the nation's top-three teams, the 14th-ranked Longhorns shot the tournament's second-lowest round among the 66 rounds played by the 22 teams and vaulted themselves into a fourth-place finish with their 7-under 281 in round three.
Texas finished at 6-over par for the tournament, just four shots back of tournament champion Stanford, the nation's second-ranked team. Oregon and Washington tied for second at five-over par, and No. 1 Oklahoma State finished in fifth place, one stroke behind Texas. The Longhorns' final-round 281 marked their lowest round since the 276 they posted in the rain-shortened Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate last October.
Hudson (Memphis, Tenn.) played spotless golf in the final round and scattered six birdies. Hudson began the round at No. 4 and went on a torrid run that commenced at No. 6, where he birdied four of five holes before adding two more at Nos. 13 and 15.
His 6-under 66 enabled him to finish at 7-under for the tournament, one shot ahead of second-place Brooks Koepka of Florida State. Hudson's previous college victory came at UT's Morris Williams Intercollegiate in 2008, when he set a new 18-hole course record at The University of Texas Golf Club with a 65 in the final round.
Freshman Johnathan Schnitzer followed a 2-under effort from Thursday with an even-par 72 on Friday to ensure a top-25 finish in his first varsity start. Schnitzer (Houston, Texas) opened his final round at No. 5 and sank birdies at the seventh, 15th, 18th and first holes. He finished in a tie for 21st place with a 4-over 220.
Senior Charlie Holland saved his low round for last and carded a 3-under 69 on Friday. Holland (Dallas, Texas) began the round at No. 6 and bogeyed the hole, but he played error-free golf through the remainder of the round and scattered birdies at Nos. 8, 9, and 14 en route to his 3-under effort. Holland tied for 29th place at 5-over for the tournament.
Sophomore Dylan Frittelli carded a 2-over 74 in the final round behind birdies at the second, seventh, 10th and 15th holes. Frittelli (Pretoria, South Africa) joined Holland in a tie for 29th place at 5-over par. Freshman Cody Gribble scored his low round of the tournament on Friday with his 3-over 75 behind birdies at the eighth, 14th and 15th holes. Gribble (Dallas, Texas) tied for 74th in the 120-player field at 16-over par.
Texas resumes play on Sunday, Feb. 21 at the Puerto Rico Classic hosted by Purdue University.
POST-ROUND COMMENTS
Texas junior Bobby Hudson
On his final round: I've been playing really good golf. I knew I was playing well when I got back to campus in January, but I had not been able to test myself in a college tournament. Today, I just went out and got it going. I felt confident. I was driving the ball well and staying in the present. I was able to get in some birdies, and then it felt more like the (2008) Morris Williams, where I was just able to get in a zone. Coach Fields was giving me perfect lines every time on my putts, and I was able to knock them down. We were able to pick my spots on the tees and in the fairways. We just played it smart.
Coach Fields backed me off of a couple shots, and I thought it was big for me when he reminded me to slow down and get my focus back. I had hit the ball off of the fairway a couple of times, but I was able to make two good pars and get my focus back. I kept hitting the ball well, and it ended up being enough to win.
On winning an event with such a challenging tournament field: It gives me a lot of confidence. It means a lot to know that what you've been doing to prepare for events like this, all of the work on the course....that's all paying off. I knew I could win more tournaments, and it obviously makes you believe it even more to come win an event with the teams we saw here this week.
Texas head coach John Fields
On Bobby Hudson's final round and victory: Bobby got off to a solid start. He birdied his third hole of the day, which was No. 6, and he followed with another birdie at No. 7. He never looked back and went on to have a bogey-free round. It was reminiscent of when he shot broke the course record with a 65 at The UT Golf Club, at the 2008 Morris Williams event. I am really happy for him. He went home over the semester break and did a lot of good work. He came back and was prepared to play. He won our qualifying event, and he came here to play against an extremely talented field and won. So, naturally, I'm really happy for him. It was nice to see him rise to the occasion, and this is good for the entire team.
On the team's final-round performance: Another huge bright spot was Charlie Holland coming back with a 69 today, which was outstanding in every way. He played so solid today after not having his best during the first couple of days. Johnathan Schnitzer shot 142 over the last two days and played some really good golf, too. I told the guys that two years ago they would have been happy with where we finished, but I could see that it stung this time because we knew we left some shots out there that maybe could have put us in the winner's circle, or at least in second. But, when you play well against this kind of field, it's definitely a positive way to start the spring.
Mauna Lani Invitational
Final Results
1 Stanford 297-283-286-866 (+2)
T2 Oregon 291-290-288-869 (+5)
T2 Washington 291-287-291-869 (+5)
4 TEXAS 297-292-281-870 (+6)
5 Oklahoma State 299-285-287-871 (+7)
Texas Players
1 Bobby Hudson 70-73-66-209 (-7)
T21. Johnathan Schnitzer 78-70-72-220 (+4)
T29. Charlie Holland 75-77-69-221 (+5)
T29. Dylan Frittelli 74-73-74-221 (+5)
T74. Cody Gribble 81-76-75-232 (+16)
