March 30, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

FIRST TEE: The Long Beach State men's golf team will drive up the 101 freeway as they head back up the coast as they play in their last regular season tournament at the OGIO-Pacific Coast Intercollegiate hosted by UC Santa Barbara. Micheal Drake, Ricky Montanez, Issei Suenaga, Karl Katnik, Aaron Slonim and Jeremy Keller (playing as an individual) will compete with 13 other teams. Two-rounds are scheduled for Monday, Mar. 31 with the final 18-holes being played on Tuesday morning at the Rancho San Marcos Golf Course (par-71/6,814 yards). The 13-team field includes host UC Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal Poly, Pepperdine, Cal State Northridge, UC Riverside, Loyola Marymount, Weber State, Sacramento State, Idaho State and Boise State.

LAST YEAR IN SANTA BARBARA: Last year, the 49ers finished in 12th place out of 18 teams as they shot a three-round total of 859 (289-283-287) at the Alisal River Course in Solvang. Brett Lederer led the 49ers as he shot a total of 211 (67-66-78) to finish tied for sixth. Michael Drake tied for 17th as he recorded a 216 (70-74-72) and Karl Katnik tied for 42nd with a 227 (80-73-74). In 2003, the 49ers recorded their highest finish at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate as LBSU finished in fifth place as they carded an 886 (295-293-298) at the La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc. Individually, the best finish for a 49er was in 1998 at the Sandpiper Golf Course in Santa Barbara as current PGA golfer John Mallinger finished in second with a two-round total of 145 (72-73).

LBSU FINISHES IN 15TH AT WESTERN INTERCOLLEGIATE: Long Beach State shot a 311 in the final round of the 62nd Western Intercollegiate to record an 82-over 922 score to finish in 15th place. The 49ers fell two spots from the second round, but finished ahead of Michigan State in the third round at the Pasatiempo Golf Course. The Spartans shot a 314 to finish tied for second with fellow Big West Conference member UC Irvine. Saint Mary's claimed the team title as the Gaels won by one shot with a total of 880. Ricky Montanez dropped one spot to tie for 36th as he shot a five-over 77 on the last day. Issei Suenaga tied for 50th with a 231, followed by Karl Katnik tied for 75th and Jeremy Keller at 86th.

MONTANEZ HAS BEST TOURNAMENT SANTA CRUZ: Although just having played in five tournaments in his rookie season for LBSU, freshman Ricky Montanez recorded his best performance this season as he tied for 36th place at the 62nd Western Intercollegiate. Montanez began the tournament with a 13-over 83 in the opening round, but came back in the second round with a two-under 68, which marked his lowest round this season. Montanez completed the final round with a seven-over 77.

LIVINGSTONE ON LAST WEEK: "Pasatiempo was a disappointment. Our team has normally played very well there, but we just made too many mistakes and on a course like that," said LBSU Head Coach Bob Livingstone. "Mistakeswill cost you with doubles and triples, and those just killed us. We got to play a practice round at San Marcos last fall, and the guys really like the course, and I think it suits our players pretty well.We know we are better than our recent results, but we do need to show that we are, and this course may be a good place for us to do that."

DRAKE LEADS 49ERS FOR FIFTH TIME: For the second consecutive tournament and fifth overall this season, Michael Drake was the top individual for LBSU at the 62nd Western Intercollegiate. Drake shot a three-round total of 227 (74-79-74) to finish tied for 33rd, which marked his third best finish for the 2007-08 campaign. His best finish came at the beginning at the season at the Saint Mary's Invitational as tied for sixth with a score of 217 (71-72-74). Drake was also the top 49er at the Wolf Pack Classic, Ping Intercollegiate and the Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic.

LIVINGSTONE WILL RETIRE AT SEASON'S END: Long Beach State Head Coach Bob Livingstone announced that he will retire at the end of the season after serving 14 years at the helm of the 49er men's golf program ... "After much thought and for several reasons, I have decided that when this school year ends I will not seek a contract renewal," said Livingstone ... "I am making this announcement now so that the high school golfers we are recruiting will have all of the information they need to make their decisions ... Rest assured I am still committed to the team and the players for the remainder of this year ... This is an extremely young team, but one with phenomenal talent, and our goal is to put together all of the things we are working on by the end of the spring, when the Big West Championship and NCAA playoff selections take place ... While we haven't been as consistent as we would like this semester, we have shown much potential in our five fall events, and I believe we will continue to improve and peek at the right time."

NEXT UP FOR THE BEACH: The 49ers are next in action as they prepare for the Big West Conference Championships on April 21-22 at the Tijeras Creek Golf Course in Rancho Santa Margarita. Both men's and women's championships will run concurrent with 36-holes taking place on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday. Admission to the tournament is free to the public. For further information log onto bigwest.org