The Ute golf team is coming off its best week of the season as it heads to compete in the Wyoming Desert Classic. The event will be held from Oct. 4 to Oct. 5 in Palm Desert, Calif., at the Classic Club, a par-72 course.
Although last year’s performances have nothing to do with this season, the Utes finished fifth in 2007. The only player to compete in the Classic from this year’s team is Chance Cota, who finished 66th last year.
Cota played the best he has all season last week with a tie for 13th finish. Although head coach Randall McCracken said he was happy for him, he hopes that he can remain consistent.
The team finished ninth last week in the William H. Tucker Invitational at a very difficult course. The Utes busted the top 10 for the first time this year, but that’s not playing up to their expectations.
“It’s still kind of hard to judge with this team what’s a good result and what’s not,” McCracken said. “The golf course was set up really hard and the scores were quite high for a college golf tournament.”
With that being said, the Utes being able to pull their best rounds out at a tough track is a good sign.
The Classic Club will possibly be the most difficult course the Utes will play all year. With a course rating of 75, chances are you won’t see too many players go too low. The Classic Club was designed by hall of fame golfer Arnold Palmer, who is known for making championship-caliber golf courses. The layout is done very well and the course is immaculate8212;it should be a treat for all 19 teams that will be playing this weekend.
“Overall the courses are a little bit harder than what we play at home,” McCracken said. “Not hard enough to be producing the scores that we’re shooting.”
Along with the U, three other Utah schools will be playing in the Desert Classic8212;Southern Utah University, Weber State and Utah Valley University. The Utes will battle these three teams to become one of the elite collegiate golf schools behind BYU. Besides competing against Arizona and Colorado State, the field isn’t too difficult, so the Utes could make another good showing this week.