Feb. 19, 2007

BEAUMONT - On the strength of three players ranked among the top 60, the Lamar University men's golf team is ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index as the Cardinals are set to begin their 2007 spring schedule.

Florida is the top-ranked team in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, followed by Stanford. Lamar is set to open the 2007 spring season Feb. 26-27 at the All-American Intercollegiate hosted by the University of Houston at Cypresswood Golf Club.

Lamar won tournament titles at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic hosted by Notre Dame and The Club Glove Intercollegiate hosted by Pepperdine in the fall. The Cardinals also advanced to the finals of the Callaway Match Play Championships at Colonial CC in Fort Worth, losing to defending NCAA Champion Oklahoma State. Lamar defeated Coastal Carolina, UCLA and Texas A&M to get to the finals.

Junior Dawie Van Der Walt, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, led the Cardinals with a 71.83 fall scoring average over 12 rounds. He is currently ranked 10th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Junior Casey Clendenon, a Katy native, posted a 72.33 fall scoring average over 15 rounds. He is ranked 60th in the Golfweek rankings.

Oliver Bekker, a sophomore from Stellenbosch, South Africa, was third on the team with a 73.20 scoring average over 15 rounds. He posted a fourth-place finish at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic. He is ranked 18th in the Golfweek rankings.

In the Golfstat collegiate rankings, Stanford, Alabama and Florida are the top three teams. Lamar is ranked 13th. Van Der Walt is ranked 80th in the Golfstat player rankings, Clendenon is 146th and Bekker is 181st.