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OPENING DRIVE: The 17th-ranked University of New Mexico men’s golf team kicks off its postseason this week, beginning with the Mountain West Conference Championships in Bend, Oregon. The tournament begins May 1 and runs through May 3 with a 9:30 a.m. MST start each day. The Lobos have never won the tournament’s trophy, but had their highest finish last season, when they finished in second place behind UNLV. They then went on to the NCAA West Regional in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they took the top prize.

THE FIELD: In addition to New Mexico, the full MWC Championship field includes (national rankings in parentheses): No. (7) UNLV, (33) San Diego St., (44) BYU, (45) Colorado St., ( 77) Utah, Air Force Academy and Wyoming. New Mexico head coach Glen Millican will take Michael Letzig, Jay Choi, Madalitso Muthiya, Ian Medlock and Jay Reynolds for competition.

THE COURSE: The Mountain West Championships will be played at the Sunriver Resort-Crosswater, a par-72, 7,273-yard course. According to Golf Digest, Crosswater is one of the 100 best courses in the nation.

RESULTS: Results from the MWC Championshis can be found on the UNM website at www.GoLobos.com as soon as is possible following play each day.

LAST TIME OUT: After erasing the memory of two consecutive finishes out of the top-10 (Morris Williams Intercollegiate and Toyota Men’s Collegiate) with a second place finish at the National Invitational Tournament, the Lobos slipped again some, ending up in 14th place at the 19-team ASU Thunderbird Invitational. The Lobos’ 8-under par team score (289-281-285856) was not enough to tame the fiery 824 shot by host school Arizona State, which at 40-under par was an ASU Thunderbird record. In fact, all but one team finished over par, exemplifying the rigidity of the field. Michael Letzig was the Lobos’ highest finisher (T17th, 209, -9) in the 182-player field. He shot a 64 in the second round to tie him for the second-lowest round in school history. It also matched Letzig’s lowest career round that he shot at the John Burns Intercollegiate in 2001. Following Letzig were Jay Choi and Derek Abel (T65th, +2), Ian Medlock (T78th, 220, +4) and Madalitso Muthiya (T92nd, 223, +7).

LOBOS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Lobos are ranked No. 17 in the most recent GolfWeek and Precept Coaches polls, dated April 21, 2003. GolfWeek had the Lobos ranked 3rd in the October 5 poll, the highest ranking ever attained by a UNM men’s golf team. And as the Lobos are the highest rated team in the Southwestern district, a bid to the NCAA West Regional in Seattle, Washington is likely cemented. Senior Michael Letzig, the Mountain West Conference Golfer of the Month for September, climbed from 36th to 27th n the GolfWeek rankings while freshman Jay Choi is at No 124 (down from No. 93) after peaking at No. 53 following his win at the Club Glove Intercollegiate at Pepperdine. Jay Reynolds checks in at No. 154 in the April 21 GolfWeek poll and Madalitso Muthiya is ranked at No. 208. Choi’s win at the Club Glove made him the first true UNM freshman to ever win a tournament.

SEASON TO DATE: The Lobos are having a banner 2002-03 season. UNM captured both the team and individual (Letzig) titles at the William H. Tucker in Albuquerque on Sept. 13-14. The Lobos shot even-par 864 over the three rounds, five shots better than second-place UNLV in the 18-team field. The Lobos’ team title was its second in as many years. A few days later, New Mexico tied for second among 10 schools at the Sooner Invitational in Frisco, Texas. UNM carded a 19-under 845, tying for the fourth-lowest 54-hole score in school history. At the Club Glove Intercollegiate in Somis, California, Jay Choi carded a three-day score of 211 to share top honors with UC-Irvine’s Jeff Coburn. The Lobos finished fourth at the Club Glove Intercollegiate with an 887 team score. The UNM JV squad took top honors at the WNMU Intercollegiate, held October 14-15 at the Links at Sierra Blanca in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Ian Medlock shot an unbelievable 201 (-15) to win the individual crown, while David Schultz followed in 4th place (210) and Jeremy Kirkland finished tied for 6th (211). Capping fall action, the Lobos finished fifth out of 19 teams at the Barona Collegiate Cup in Lakeside, California. Madalitso Muthiya had his best showing of the fall season, finishing tied for 9th place (212, -4), while Letzig shot a 214 (-2) to finish tied for 17th. Then to begin the spring, the Lobos roared back from a 10th place finish after day one of the PING Arizona Intercollegiate to finish tied for 6th place with Arizona State. Four of the Lobos’ five position players finished with par or better rounds to launch New Mexico into a final day score of 278 (-2). For the tournament, the Lobos carded a total of 848 (-4). The Lobos’ hot play continued through February as they finished in a tie for2nd place at the 21-team John Burns Intercollegiate field. Michael Letzig paced the Lobos with two rounds of 70 and a round of 73 to finish in a tie for 12th place overall. In both the fall and spring seasons, the Lobos played in 10 varsity events. Of those 10, New Mexico had four top-3 finishes (including a win at the William H. Tucker), three finishes between the 4th and 6th place spots and three finishes out of the top-10.

MEDLOCK SHOOTS RECORD LOW IN RUIDOSO: Junior Ian Medlock shot the second-lowest 18-hole ound of golf in UNM school history at the WNMU Fall Intercollegiate in October. His 64 ties him for second best all time, with senior Michael Letzig, who shot a similar score at the 2001 John Burns Invitational. Only Tim Herron’s 62 at the 1992 William H. Tucker Invitational bests these scores. Medlock’s three-round score of 201 is also tied for second-lowest in school history with Herron’s score at the ‘92 William H. Tucker, while Letzig holds the school record with a three-round score of 199 at the 2001 John Burns Invitational.

HEAD COACH GLEN MILLICAN: Second-year head coach Glen Millican (pictured left) didn’t waste any time making news in his rookie campaign as head coach, as UNM tied for the NCAA West Regional title and earned a berth in the NCAA Golf Championships. While the Lobos finished a disappointing 26th out of 30, Millican feels that was a great step into continuing the success of this program. “All-in-all, I’m happy with the way we played last year,” Millican said. “I think we could have performed better at the championships, but I think some of our youth showed that last weekend. But, for the returning guys, that will prove to be a valuable experience and something that will help get us to the next level.” That next level Millican foresees includes a Mountain West Conference title and another trip to the championships, this time with a better showing. UNM returns three of the five golfers that played at the championships, and Millican believes that threesome, along with the younger guys, gives them a realistic shot at making that happen. “We do have some good experience coming back, and we have some young guys who will now get the opportunity to show what they can do.” Millican was named UNM’s seventh coach since World War II on June 25, 2001 replacing J.T. Higgins, who departed for Texas A&M after four years in the Cherry and Silver. The 27-year old Millican served as the Lobos’ assistant from 1998-2001, following his graduation from UNM in 1998. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Lobos and played in the 1997 NCAA Championships. Millican was an Academic All-American in 1997. He is assisted by another former Lobo, Ryan Murphy (UNM ‘97). Murphy was also a four-year letterwinner for the Lobos and competed in the NCAA Championships in each of his seasons (1993-96). He was an Academic All-American in 1996 and has been playing professionally the last few years.

ASSISTANT COACH RYAN MURPHY: Ryan Murphy is in his 2nd season as an assistant coach for UNM after having played for the Lobos for four years and competing professionally in several local and national tournaments. Murphy's main responsibilities include recruiting and heading the Top-100 Club, UNM's main fundraising source. Murphy also contributes his vast experience at the collegiate and professional level to coach Lobo golfers with the mechanics of their swing and the mental aspect of competition. Murphy was a four-year letterwinner for New Mexico from 1993-97 under John Fields. He twice earned academic All-America honors for his performance in the classroom. Murphy had a career stroke average of 75.04 and played in the NCAA Championships each of his four seasons. He was a member of UNM"s Western Athletic Conference Championship team in 1996 and he helped lead the Lobos to a sixth-place tie in the 1996 NCAA Championships, their best finish since 1979. Murphy's best career finish as an individual was when he tied for sixth in the 1995 WAC Championships. His low round was 68 in both the 1995 and 1996 Taylor Made Intercollegiate and his low tournament was 213 (-3) in the 1994 John Burns Intercollegiate. After graduating from UNM in 1997, Murphy went to PGA Tour Qualifying School in both 1997 and 1998. Although unsuccessful at qualifying for the tour, Murphy has been playing professionally since graduation. He was able to play in three events this past summer, including the San Juan Open (5th place finish), the New Mexico Open (4th place finish) and the Southwest Kansas Pro-Am (8th place finish). In 1996, he served as assistant pro at the Army/Navy Country Club in Fairfax, Virginia. More recently, Murphy worked in Academic Services at UNM with the Lobo men's basketball team. He was responsible for organizing class schedules, establishing study hall sessions, monitoring the satisfactory progress of student-athletes and degree counseling.

LETZIG NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: New Mexico senior Michael Letzig was named Mountain West Conference Men's Golfer of the Month for September after leading the Lobos to a team victory at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. and a second-place finish at the Sooner Invitational in Frisco, Texas. Letzig fired a three-round total of nine-under 209 to win medalist honors at the William H. Tucker Invitational. It was his second career tournament victory. Letzig followed that performance with a tie for second at the Sooner Invitational, shooting a 10-under 206. He was named national golfer of the week for the Sept. 20 issue of Golf World Magazine.

LETZIG NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michael Letzig was named national player of the week by Golf World Magazine in its Sept. 20 issue. With a final-round 70 at the William H. Tucker, Letzig became the first Lobo to win the individual title in five years. His nine-under 207 was three shots better than runner-up Ryan Moore of UNLV. Letzig finished in a tie for second at the Sooner Invitational, carding a 10-under 206.

LETZIG NAMED TO WATCH LIST: Senior Michael Letzig has been named to the GolfWorld Top 50 Male Players to Watch List. The senior from Richmond, Mo., had a 72.56 stroke average last season, which ranks seventh-best in UNM history. His best finish last year was a second place mark at the Tucker, and he finished in the top-10 four times last season. Letzig was named a Freshman All-America by the Golf Coaches Association of America in 2000.

Charlie BeljaN SIGNS WITH NEW MEXICO: UNM head coach Glen Millican recently announced the signing of two players to be eligible for the 2003-2004 season. Charlie Beljan (Mesa, Arizona - Red Mountain High School) and Brian Meck (Austin, Texas - Westwood High School) will join the Lobo squad and both come in as highly touted players. Beljan is the reigning 2002 USGA Junior Amateur Champion and he advanced to the round of 32 in the 2002 USGA Amateur Championship. He was an invitee to the Walker Cup Team Trials, the equivalent to the Ryder Cup for amateurs and usually reserved for the best amateurs in the country. “For a junior player to be invited to the trials is just unbelievable,” Millican said. “They pick 21 guys, mostly amateurs, and coaches pick the best twelve to compete against Great Britain and Ireland. There are only two juniors invited to the trials.” Beljan is also the reigning Arizona State Junior Match Play Champion, the reigning Arizona State Stroke Play Champion and as a high school junior won the 2001 Arizona High School Regional Championship and the 2001 Arizona High School State Champion. “He’s obviously a good player, but what I like most about Charlie, is that he’s an extremely competitive person,” Millican said. “When he’s on the course you can tell by his body language that he really wants to win. He’s going to bring out the best out of everyone on our team.” “Brian has a lot of the same characteristics as Charlie,” Millican said. “He’s totally devoted to playing golf and probably spends more time on his golf game than anyone I’ve recruited. I’ve seen him play some junior tournaments where he didn’t great rounds. But he would always come back with a great round. Not just a good round but a great round.”

Lobos Men's Golf

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