Event: Wyoming Cowboy Classic
Where: Talking Stick Golf Club – Scottsdale, Ariz.
When: Today and tomorrow; all day
Who to watch: Austin Graham performed brilliantly for the Aggies last year at the Cowboy Classic. Then a freshman, Graham finished ninth in the tournament among individuals, shooting 4-under leading UC Davis to a team victory in the 23-team field.
The San Clemente, Calif. native is coming off a strong freshman year in which he led the team with a stroke average of 72.7. He had a trio of top-10 finishes, including a tie for sixth place at the Big West Championships.
Graham has built on that success this year for the Aggies. He finished tied for 17th and led UC Davis to a fifth-place finish as a team its last time out at the Oregon Invitational on Mar. 24.
Did you know? When the Aggies hit the course in Scottsdale, they’ll do so shooting for their third straight team title at the Cowboy Classic. They fired an impressive 833 (-7) in 2008 after finishing at even par in 2007.
Additionally, UC Davis has had this success despite the tournament’s expansion. The Classic fielded 11 teams back in 2003 before growing to its current 23-team field.
Preview: The Aggies came back from a slow start to post a solid finish at the Oregon Invitational their last time out.
Stuck in eighth place after posting scores of 300 and 303 on the first day of competition, UC Davis rallied to fire a third-round 288 to finish fifth.
The early-round stumbles, however, cost the Aggies‘ their top-25 national ranking. They dropped from No. 24 to No. 36. Look for UC Davis to try to get back on track today in Arizona as it guns for its third straight Cowboy Classic.
– Kyle Hyland
