Summerhays, Ogden lead Cougars in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM -- For the third consecutive tournament, BYU's Daniel Summerhays' top 10 finish helped pace the Cougars as they finished 4th in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.

After recording an NCAA record 60 in his previous tournament, Summerhays stayed in the 60's all three rounds to finish in fifth place at nine-under-par. He went 68-69-67--204 and has finished in the top 10 in all three tournaments this season. He has also finished under par in all three tournaments the season and leads the Cougars with an impressive 69.6 stroke average.

"I played solid and didn't make any mistakes all week," Summerhays said. "It was nice to see my putts going in and hopefully, if I continue to work hard, I can be in contention to win the next tournament."

Teammate Clay Ogden was also impressive with a third-round low 65, finishing one stroke behind Summerhays at eight-under-par in sixth place. Ogden, a senior from West Point, Utah played well for the second consecutive tournament and tied a career low with his 65. Fellow senior Nick Becker earned his second top 15 finish of the season--finishing tied for 14th at five-under-par. Senior Jake Ellison and sophomore Nick Killpack finished tied for 38th and 49th out of 60 individuals respectively.

When three Cougars finish in the top 15, BYU typically is in contention to win. Unfortunately, BYU struggled to get a quality fourth score, which has been the story of the season thus far.

"We've played well as a team thus far this year, but we're struggling a little bit with our depth," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "We need some of our other guys to step up and play at a higher level."

The Cougars are ranked No. 12 in the nation and have had three consecutive top 15 finishes in the NCAA Championship. With three talented seniors and Summerhays the lone junior, BYU has the talent to be in contention in every tournament this season.

"We believe we are one of the best teams in the nation, and to this point in the season, I don't think our effort has matched our expectations," Summerhays said. "We need to work a little harder and raise our game before the winter break."

The Cougars have one final tournament of the fall season. On November 6-8 BYU will travel to Stockton, Calif. to compete in the Pacific Invitational.

TEAM SCORES
1.  Alabama            270-272-277--819 -33 
2.  Texas Tech         274-272-280--826 -26 
3.  Texas              280-276-272--828 -24 
4.  Brigham Young      284-274-272--830 -22 
5.  Georgia State      277-280-276--833 -19 
6.  East Tennessee St. 290-272-272--834 -18 
7.  Auburn             297-271-271--839 -13 
8.  UAB                272-279-290--841 -11 
9.  Louisiana State    283-279-281--843 -9 
10. Arizona            280-280-287--847 -5 
11. Tulsa              284-285-281--850 -2 
12. Purdue             287-283-284--854 +2
BYU INDIVIDUAL SCORES
5.   Daniel Summerhays   68-69-67--204 -9 
T6.  Clay Ogden          73-67-65--205 -8 
T14. Nick Becker         70-70-68--208 -5 
T38. Jake Ellison        73-70-72--215 +2 
T49. Nick Killpack       77-68-74--219 +6