Nine days remain until the Big 12 Conference Championship Tournament begins at Whispering Pines Golf Course in Trinity, Texas. The Kansas men’s golf team will enter the event coming off of a tie for ninth place at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate in Holly Springs, N.C. Here is another look at some of the teams the Jayhawks will see next week.

Oklahoma State

Both the Golfstat and Golf Week polls have ranked the Cowboys at No. 1. Golf Week magazine ranked freshman Pablo Martin and sophomore Tyler Leon in the top 10. Martin was recently named a semifinalist for The Ben Hogan Award, the most prestigious award in college golf.

The Cowboys recently finished their regular season campaign by winning the Texas A&M; Invitational on Sunday at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. The victory marked the fifth tournament championship for Oklahoma State this season and the third of the spring. Leon led the way for the Cowboys with a three-round total of 213 and tied for third in the tournament. Pablo came in second for Oklahoma State with a tournament total of 218 and tied for eighth.

The Cowboys have won three Big 12 Championships, the last being in 2000.

Texas

With three-consecutive conference championships, the Longhorns are the reigning Big 12 champions. Golf Week ranked the Longhorns 19th in the nation and Golfstat ranked them 13th. Junior golfer Matthew Rosenfeld leads the team with a 71.7 stroke average. He is the only golfer on the team who has played in every event of the season. Golf Week has ranked Rosenfeld the 12th best player in the nation, and he was recently named to the 2005 Palmer Cup team. The Palmer Cup is an event in which the best collegiate players in America play against the best in Europe.

As a team, Texas has not won a golf tournament all season, but they have maintained a high ranking because they have played some difficult courses.

Texas A&M;

Like the Longhorns, the Aggies have yet to win a golf tournament this season, but they haven’t faced the same stiff competition the Longhorns have faced. Texas A&M; will host the 2005 Big 12 Championship and will have the advantage of playing on a Jack Nicklaus design golf course at Whispering Pines. The Traditions Golf Club, the Aggies home course, is also a Nicklaus design.

With a stroke average of 72.7, junior Andrew Parr is the most consistent player on the team. Freshman Robert Gates Jr. has played consistent golf as well, with a stoke average of 73.7. Recently, the Aggies struggled as they finished in 10th place at the inaugural Aggie Invitational at their home course in Bryan, Texas. Freshman Martin Pillar led the Aggies with a tie for 12th place. He fired three rounds in the 70s and shot 220 for the tournament. The Aggies will enter the championships ranked 36th in the nation in the Golf Week poll.

The tournament begins Friday, April 29.

— Edited by Megan Claus