Staggs unleashes record-setting 63 to prevail at Windon Memorial
EVANSTON, Ill. – University of Tulsa senior men’s golfer Colton Staggs shocked the field Monday at the 2014 Windon Memorial during the third round of play by tying the course-low record of 7-under par 63 to move up 17 spots and finish in first place, his first career tournament victory. Staggs’ outstanding performance helped the Hurricane bounce back and finish the tournament with 862 and tied for 8th-place after placing 14th after two rounds on Sunday.
Staggs’ performance bested his previous career low, a 68 at last year’s Desert Shootout, by five strokes. His 63 total on Monday tied the single-round low score in course history and it also tied for the low-score in the tournament’s history. His 54-hole total of 205 tied the best individual score in tournament history as well.
His round impressed right off the tee with a birdie on his first hole of the day, the par-4 10th. He would go on to sink six more birdies on 13, 14, 1, 2, 5 and 6 and never carded a bogey. His 63 is the lowest single-round total for a Tulsa golfer since David Inglis’ 63 in the opening round of the 2002 WAC Championships that he would go on to win.
“I didn’t even know it until after,” Staggs said about his course record score and first career win. “It hasn’t even sunk in yet. It’s pretty cool. One of my better rounds, under pressure. It was good. I’ve been hitting it really good. Today, I started making putts.”
California, who went into round three in the lead, would hold on to the top spot and finish with an 834 total and top honors. Ohio State was closest to catching the Golden Bears, but would not be able to do so and finished with 847. Iowa and Michigan would tie for third at 849 a piece and Marquette rounded out the top five at 856.
Fellow Tulsa senior Matt Mabrey also improved on his scores from day one and carded a 1-under par 69, finishing the tournament with a 216 and tied for 29th-place. The highlight for Mabrey came on No. 8 when he counted an eagle on the par-4 hole.
A duo of Tulsa sophomores, Francisco Yanez finished at 222 and tied for 59th, while Sebastian Smith finished with a total of 223, good for the 66th spot. Fellow sophomore Matthew Marquez started rough on the back-nine but finished strong with four birdies on holes 5, 6, 8 and 9 and a total of 229.
Behind Staggs in the tight individual leaderboard race were Jose Mendez from Minnesota and Cameron Shaw from Cal who both finished at 206. Seven golfers ended up tying for fourth at 209; including Mans Berglund (Lamar), Ben-Marvin Egel (Purdue), Carson Schaake (Iowa), Sebastian Crampton (California), Grant Weaver (Ohio State), Clark Engle (Ohio State) and K.K. Limbhasut (California).
Next up for the men is a trip to Columbus, Ohio for the Jack Nicklaus Invitational on Sept. 28-29.
Team Scores
1. California 285-279-270=834
2. Ohio State 284-281-282=847
T3. Iowa 283-285-281=849
T3. Michigan 281-284-284=849
5. Marquette 283-286-287=856
T6. Lamar 289-286-284=859
T6. Purdue 291-284-284=859
T8. Northwestern 293-287-282=862
T8. Tulsa 285-298-279=862
10. Tennessee 286-290-291=867
11. Notre Dame 289-285-296=870
12. St. John’s 283-295-294=872
13. Minnesota 289-288-296=873
14. Wisconsin 290-289-296=875
15. North Texas 287-299-295=881
Tulsa Individuals
1. Colton Staggs 69-73-63=205
T29. Matt Mabrey 70-77-69=216
T59. Francisco Yanez 74-75-73=222
66. Sebastian Smith 72-74-77=223
79. Matthew Marquez 79-76-74=229
Top-5 Individuals
1. Colton Staggs, Tulsa 69-73-63=205
T2. Jose Mendez, Minnesota 68-67-71=206
T2. Cameron Shaw, California 72-69-65=206
T4. Mans Berglund, Lamar 67-73-69=209
T4. Ben-Marvin Egel, Purdue 72-70-67=209
T4. Carson Schaake, Iowa 72-69-68=209
T4. Sebastian Cramption, California 75-68-66=209
T4. Grant Weaver, Ohio State 72-68-69=209
T4. Clark Engle, Ohio State 69-69-71=209
T4. K.K. Limbhasut, California 68-71-70=209