Men's Golf News and Notes
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 12, 1998
Deacon Details
The Golf Digest Collegiate InvitationalWake Forest is next in action this weekend, March 13-15, at the Golf Digest Invitational. The 54-hole tournament features a field of 15 collegiate teams, 11 of which are ranked in the Mastercard Top 25, and is played on the 7,066-yard, par-72 Desert Innn Golf Club course. The Desert Inn course is home to the PGA Tour's Las Vegas Invitational.
A Look at the Deacon Lineup
Todd Lynch (Sr, Winston-Salem, NC/North Forsyth)Career SA: 74.2. An All-ACC and third-team All-America pick last year...led team with eight top 10's and a 72.7 average...finished 63rd at the '97 NCAA's...recorded a 73.7 average in the fall...57th at the Puerto Rico Classic...12 career top 10's.
Michael Capone (Jr, Cranston, RI/Bishop Hendricken)Career SA: 73.8. Finished sixth at the '97 NCAA's and earned honorable mention All-America honors...placed eighth at the '97 ACC Championships...led team this fall with a 73.5 average and two top 20's...was 27th at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Ryan Gioffre (Sr, Greensboro, NC/Greensboro Day)Career SA: 75.2. One of the Deacs' most consistent golfers...recorded a 74.2 stroke average last year...finished 30th at the NCAA's with a final-round score of 68...posted a 75.3 fall average...placed 11th at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Ray Floyd, Jr. (Sr, Miami Beach, FL/Miami Country Day)Career SA: 75.5. Finished 96-97 at No. 34 in the Rolex rankings...posted a 74.7 average last year...competed in two events this fall...two career top 10's, including second at the '96 Taylor Made Red River Classic...15th at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Jamie Gallacher (So, Surrey, England/Bradfield College)Career SA: N/A. Competing in his first collegiate varsity tournament this week...the son of Ryder Cup standout Bernard Gallacher.
Veteran Squad Seeks NCAA Crown in '98
Wake Forest returns four starters from last year's NCAA runner-up squad and looks to have all the pieces in place for a run at the program's fourth national title in '98. The Deacs are anchored by senior Todd Lynch and junior Michael Capone, who earned third-team and honorable mention All-America honors, respectively, last spring. Also returning are senior Ryan Gioffre, one of the team's most consistent players, and junior Oscar Sanchez, who joined Lynch on the All-ACC squad last year. Seniors Ray Floyd, Jr. and Thomas Parker, junior Juan Vizcaya, and sophomore Jamie Gallacher will compete for the fifth spot in the lineup.
Current Mastercard Ranking: 33rd (February 25, 1998) Final 1996-97 Rolex Ranking: 6th (June 4, 1997) 1997 ACC Championships Finish: 3rd 1997 NCAA Championships Finish: 2nd Head Coach: Jerry Haas (Wake Forest '85), first season Sports Information Contact: Jen Hoover, Assistant SID Phone: 336-758-5640; Fax: 336-758-5140; E-mail: hooverjj@wfu.edu Website: www.wakeforestsports.com
Head Coach Jerry Haas
Jerry Haas took over the reins of the Demon Deacon golf program in September of 1997 upon the retirement of Jack Lewis. A 1985 graduate of Wake Forest and a four-time collegiate All-American, Haas played nine years of professional golf, including four years on the PGA Tour, before returning to his alma mater as a coach. this is his first college coaching stint.
Last Time OutWake Forest shot 293-301-298=892 to finish in a tie for seventh at the Puerto Rico Golf Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Feb. 23-24. The Deacs finished the tournament at 28-over par, 17 strokes behind team champion North Carolina. Senior Ryan Gioffre continued his consistent play, shooting a 72-73-74 to finish 11th at 3-over par. Gioffre was just one stroke away from a top 10 finish and was 11 strokes behind the individual champion, Georgia Tech's Matt Kuchar. Senior Ray Floyd, Jr. dropped out of the top 10 with a 77 in round three (71-72-77), finishing in 15th place at 4-over par. Junior Michael Capone made up for a disastrous second round with a 2-under 70 on the final day to finish 27th (72-84-70). Senior Todd Lynch and junior Oscar Sanchez both struggled in the event, with Lynch placing 57th (78-79-77), and Sanchez finishing 70th (86-77-79).
Fall 1997 RecapWith a brand new coach, a busy slate of competitive tournaments, and hectic travel schedule, Wake struggled through a rocky fall. The Deacs' only top five finish came in the first event of the season, taking fifth out of 12 U.S. and Japanese teams at the Topy Cup in Japan. The team posted three other top 10's, including seventh place at the Taylor Made Red River Classic and sixth place at both the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and the Rolex Match Play Championships. Wake's best round (289) and best overall score (879) came at the Jerry Pate. Two Deacs recorded individual top 10 finishes: Todd Lynch was 10th at the Jerry Pate and Thomas Parker placed a career-best 10th at the Red River. Michael Capone led Wake with a 73.5 stroke average and two top 20's. Lynch had a 73.7 average and was ranked 72nd in the final fall Mastercard rankings. As a team, Wake Forest was No. 30 in the final Mastercard rankings.
