MUS Sports News

Golfers Play Well At Ridgeway

The MUS varsity golf team played its best golf of the short season yesterday as they defeated Briarcrest and Houston to win the three-team match at Ridgeway Country Club.

The Owls shot 144 as a team, besting the Saints by an impressive 17 shots and Houston by 20 shots.

Junior Zachary Olsen was the medalist with a 34 (-2).

Other Owl scores included Van Putman and Jake Rudesill (36), Hays Moreland (38), Hayden Combs (39), and Tucker Fox (43).

WIth the win, MUS' record stands at 12-4 overall.

The Owls next will participate in the Dragon Invitational today, August 23, at Forrest Hills Golf Course in Drummonds, Tennessee.

Golfers Return From Baylor Preview

The 2011 MUS varsity golf season is underway as the team recently returned from the Baylor Preview Invitational, held at the Black Creek Golf Club in Chattanooga.

Led by Coach Cliff Frisby, the Owls finished fourth at the event, behind Knoxville Halls, McCallie, and Briarcrest.

MUS struggled on day one as they completed their opening round in seventh place as a team, thirteen shots out of the lead. Junior Zachary Olsen led the team with a 75, followed by junior Daniel McLeod (76), freshman Hays Moreland (76), junior Van Putman (78), and junior Jake Rudesill (82).

But the team rebounded on the second day as they shot the second best total of the day (294). Olsen fired a 67, the lowest round of the event, to claim third overall. McLeod and Moreland followed with 75's, Putman a 77, and Rudesill 91. Putman did make an ace on hole 5 -- a par-3, 157 yard hole -- as he used a 7-iron.   

With the fourth-place showing, the team's overall record stands at 8-4.

The Owls will next be in action Thursday, August 18, as they take on Arlington and White Station at Fox Meadows.   

Golfers Play Much Better On Day Two At State

After not having played well on day one of the Division II-AA state golf tournament in Manchester, the varsity golf team performed much better on the second day as they team combined to post the best score of the day among the six schools.

The Owls began the day tied for fifth overall at the WillowBrook Golf Course, twenty-seven strokes behind McCallie, but on day two, MUS combined to shoot eighteen strokes better than their first day as the top four players all had better rounds.

Sophomore Zachary Olsen posted the best round of the day among all golfers, shooting 68 (-4) to finish at 143 (-1) for the tournament. He finished second overall, matching his second-place showing from last year. In his three state tournaments, Olsen has finished no worse than second place, including winning the tournament in 2008, his eighth-grade year.

Other MUS performers included junior Daniel McLeod, who was five strokes better today as he shot 75 (+3) to finish at 155 (+11).

Eighth-grader Hays Moreland also posted a better score today (76), which was five shots better than yesterday as he finished at 157 (+13).
 
Additionally, senior Clifton Jordan rebounded today as he shot 81 (+9) to finish at 163 (+19).

And sophomore Jake Rudesill shot 86 today (+14) to post a final 170 (+26).

The Owls combined to shoot 300 today, which was eighteen shots better than yesterday's performance as MUS moved into fourth place, just five strokes out of third place. McCallie won the event at 595, besting Briarcrest (603), Baylor (613), MUS, defending-champion Brentwood Academy (624), and Ensworth (630).

Despite not accomplishing their overall goal, the Owls showed character to play well today after yesterday's effort.

Olsen was pleased with how the Owls responded.

"Everyone had a much better day today. We almost got third but have to settle for fourth. But the team showed a lot of fight today coming back from yesterday," said the sophomore. 

Congratulations to Coach Frisby and the team for an excellent season.

Golfers Look To Rebound On Day Two

After day one of the Division II-AA state golf tournament, held at the WillowBrook Golf Course in Manchester, the varsity golf team is currently tied for fifth place, twenty-seven strokes behind McCallie.

Sophomore Zachary Olsen had the squad's best round of the day, shooting 75 (+3), as he is currently tied for eleventh overall, seven strokes off the lead, held by Patrick Clossin of McCallie.

Other MUS scores include junior Daniel McLeod's 80 (+8), eighth-grader Hays Moreland's 81 (+9), senior Clifton Jordan's 82 (+10), and sophomore Jake Rudesill's 84 (+12).

The Owls are tied with defending-champion Brentwood Academy at 318 as only a team's top-four scores count. Baylor currently resides in second place at 302, eleven shots behind McCallie. Briarcrest is third (303), and Ensworth is fourth (314).

Despite the tough first day, Olsen is confident that the Owls will play better tomorrow.

"It was a really rough day for the team, but we are all looking for a really strong finish. We are going to battle tomorrow and try to bring home some hardware," said Olsen.

The Owls tee off tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Good luck to Coach Frisby and the team.

Olsen Names Prep Player of the Week

Congratulations to sophomore Zachary Olsen, named the Commercial Appeal's Prep Player of the Week for the week of September 23, 2010. Olsen shot a 67 (-3), earning medalist honors as he helped the Owls win the regional golf tournament at Quail Ridge. To read the article, click here.

Golfers Head To State

The varsity golf team will be headed to the Division II-AA State Golf Tournament next Sunday, October 4, at the Old Fort Golf Club In Murfreesboro.

The team will play two practice rounds before officially beginning the tournament Tuesday.

The Owls, last-year's state runner-up, will look to better their finish as they will bring five players and an alternate, including seniors Holman Moores and Wilson Orr; junior Jerry B. Martin; sophomore Daniel McLeod; freshman Zachary Olsen; and alternate, junior Clifton Jordan.

MUS finished their regular season with a regional-tournament championship, defeating CBHS by five strokes, 298-303. For individual honors, Martin won in a three-way playoff as he birdied the 10th hole, the first sudden-death hole at Quail Ridge.

Good luck to Coach Frisby and the Owls in Murfreesboro.

Golf Team Playing Well, Builds For State

The MUS varsity golf team will look to continue to build towards the postseason as they take on St. George's and Houston today, September 10, at Ridgeway Country Club. This match will be the Owls' second of the week as they handily dispatched of St. Benedict last Tuesday, 153-169. Senior Holman Moores was the medalist Tuesday, shooting 35 at Quail Ridge, an even-par score.

The win over the Eagles improves MUS' record to 26-8-1.

This season, the Owls have competed against some of the best teams in the area and have fared well. They began the season at the prestigious Baylor Preview in Chattanooga, finishing third out of eleven squads.

They also competed in the Dragon Invitional at T.O. Fuller in late August, finishing first out of thirteen local teams.

Additionally, they have played two matches against both Christian Brothers and Briarcrest as well as one other against St. Benedict.

The Owls, led by first-year coach Cliff Frisby, have good depth throughout the lineup. Seniors Moores, Matthew Murphy, and Wilson Orr bring good experience to the squad. Yet the MUS underclassman are also extremely talented. Juniors Clifton Jordan and Jerry B. Martin, sophomore Daniel McLeod, and freshmen Zachary Olsen, Van Putman, and Jake Rudesill make the Owls formidable.

The team will look to better last-year's runner-up finish at the state tournament, which will be held October 6-7 at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro.

Olsen Again Named Athlete Of The Week

With his historic performance last week at the 2008 Division II AA State Golf Tournament, eighth-grader Zach Olsen was named the Commercial Appeal's Athlete of the Week, the second time he has received this honor.

Olsen's 67 on the second day of the tournament earned him a berth in a playoff, and his par on the third playoff hole won him the title as he became the youngest student-athlete ever to win the individual golf title.

Congratulations to Olsen, his coaches, and his teammates on another outstanding honor.

Golf Team Claims Second At State; Olsen Wins Individual State Championship

Coming into Day Two at the 2008 Division II AA State Golf Tournament, held in Murfreesboro at the Old Fort Golf Course, the MUS varsity golf team knew that they needed to go low, very low, to have a chance to claim the school's first state title since 1998.  Though they were down by only two strokes after Day One, the two squads tied for first, Baylor and McCallie, were very strong squads that would also play well.

Though the Owls did not claim the championship, falling to Baylor by five shots (574-579), the squad competed very well and claimed second overall, bettering their first-day performance by three strokes and outpacing third-place McCallie by three shots.

Owl participants included senior Drew Frisby (73/73=146, +2), junior Holman Moores (82/76=158, +14), junior Wilson Orr (74/74=148, +4), sophomore Jerry Martin (73/74=147, +3), and eighth-grader Zachary Olsen (71/67=138, -6).

But the team did bring home one championship as Olsen won the individual state championship, shooting 67 (-5) on Day Two to take the title with a 138 (-6) total.

After the first round, Olsen's 71 (-1) had him four shots behind leader Ryan Thornton, a Baylor senior and Vanderbilt commitment. But the MUS Lower-Schooler came out Wednesday and birdied both par-5's on the front nine to move to -3 overall, and then on the back nine, Olsen birdied 13, 14, and 16 to move him to -6 for both days. And two holes later, a long par putt on 18 earned him a berth in a playoff against Thornton, who shot 71 on Day Two.

Then in the sudden-death playoff, neither could gain an advantage on the first two holes, but on the third hole, a par-3, both student-athletes hit their tee shots just off the green. However, Olsen's chip was much closer than Thornton's, and after Thornton had missed his par putt, Olsen tapped in to win the hole and the championship, the first for an MUS golfer since Bobby Hudson in 2004.

Congratulations to Coach Greg King, Coach Trey Suddarth, and the entire golf team for a very successful year as they progressed as the season went along, ultimately challenging for the team championship and claiming the individual title.

For complete coverage on the tournament from the TSSAA, click here.

Golf Team Two Shots Out Of Lead After Round One

Earlier today, the MUS varsity golf team completed their first round in the 2008 Division II AA State Golf Tournament, held at the Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro as they shot 291 as a team, just two shots off the lead held by Baylor and McCallie.

Eighth-grader Zachary Olsen led the Owls, shooting 71 (-1) as he was one of only seven players to finish the round under par. Other Owl finishers included Drew Frisby (73), Jerry Martin (73), Wilson Orr (74), and Holman Moores (82).

Baylor's Ryan Thornton is leading the tournament with a 67 (-5). Currently, Olsen is tied for fourth with his 71.

The second and final round begins tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. as MUS will look to better last-season's runner-up finish.

For all individual scores, click here.