October 26, 2010
San Antonio – Getting a gauge on the competition this time of year can be an invaluable tool in golf, a primary reason St. Mary’s University men’s golf coach Wes Skidmore likes to stack the field with the best of the best in the Rattlers’ annual tournament.
Based on what he saw Monday and Tuesday, Skidmore must be pleased with where his men stand moving forward.
Backed by strong outings from seniors Matt Vela and Jeff Rein, the Rattlers finished in third place at the Bruce Williams Memorial Tournament/St. Mary’s Invitational at the Dominion Country Club.
Vela and Rein, both San Antonio natives, tied for seventh place after carding three-round totals of 218. Thanks to a third-round score of 286, the Rattlers shot 878 as a team, finishing 23 strokes behind tournament-champion Central Oklahoma.
Central Oklahoma’s Colby Shrum and Abilene Christian’s Alex Carpenter shared the individual crown after shooting 212 in the tournament.
The event marked the Rattlers’ final tournament of the fall schedule.
“It was a strong field,” Skidmore said. “Nine of the 10 teams that went to super regionals were here. Coming in third, I’m proud of our players.”
After strong winds dominated the first day, the Rattlers came back red-hot in Tuesday’s final round. Their 286 was the second-best total shot in the round.
Tim Paiz (So., San Antonio) tied for 15th after carding a 223. Chris Becker (Jr., San Antonio) came on strong Tuesday, shooting 71 to tie for 20th. Sam Jernigan (Jr., San Antonio) shot 227 over the tournament.