“Sophomore Matt Rutledge Leads Cougars to Victory”

Matt Rutledge, a sophomore from Fort Collins, Colorado, wanted to redeem himself after last year’s region championship performance. “I am going to show up this year and battle for the individual title,” said Rutledge who had just earned ACCAC First Team All-Conference honors.  Rutledge left all competitors in the dust as he fired rounds of 67, 67, 66, & 72.  Rutledge’s final total of -16 under earned him the Region I Medalist Honors and lifted his team to their fifth straight Region I Title and a team berth into the 2005 NJCAA National Golf Championships May 24 – 27th.

The men’s golf program knew the region championship would be a tough battle with six teams fighting it out for two spots.  South Mountain CC, Mesa CC, Glendale  CC, and Phoenix College were all ranked in the top 15 in the country leading up to the Region championship that would be tested over 72 holes in three days at Desert Springs Golf Course in Surprise, Arizona.

Round One Recap (5/3/05)

South Mountain jumped out into the early lead during round one with the help of Matt Rutledge firing 67.  Only two other golfers in the 30 man field were able to break par, both firing 70’s, Andrew White and Mike Sentell from Phoenix College. The Cougar’s team total of 288 held a slim lead over Mesa 292 and the surprising PC Bears at 294.

Round Two Recap (5/4/05)

Round two began just after sunrise as 30 players prepared for a 36 hole dual in the desert.  The SMCC men responded with a 285 and again were lead by Matt Rutledge with another 67.  Freshman Scott Aydelotte added an even par 72 to stand at +1 thru 36 holes.  The fast charging Phoenix College Bears posted one of their best rounds of the year 287, and moved even closer. After round 2 the top three teams stood as SMCC 573, PC 581, and Mesa at 583.

Round Three Recap (5/4/05)

After an hour break all competitors teed it up for round three in the afternoon heat.  The big news of the afternoon was the fine team play of both PC and Mesa.  Both teams fired their best rounds of the year to reduce our nine shot lead.  The cougar men let under par rounds slip away down the stretch but again were led by Rutledge and another under par round of 66.  After round 3, the top three teams were bottle necked, making the final round a pressure packed event. (SMCC 860, Mesa 862, & PC 864)

Final Round Recap (5/5/05)

Before the final round the SMCC team agreed they would not worry about the outcome and give it all they had during their rounds.  During regular season play all five golfers had shined in different events.  They all new they would be tough to beat if more then one posted a quality number.  The final round was plagued with high winds exceeding 25mph.  Freshman Scott Aydelotte went to work firing his best round of the year at 67. Rutledge and Ty Capps added even par 72’s under tough conditions to clinch the region championship and fire a team score of 285.  Mesa held off a pesky PC team to also advance.

The SMCC Men’s golf program will be represented by Scott Aydelotte, Brett Beaty, Ty Capps, Nick Carlson, and Matt Rutledge for the upcoming 2005 NJCAA DII National Golf Championship hosted by Goose Pond Colony GC in Scottsboro, Alabama. Sophomore Jeff Ray will also play as an individual for earning exempt All-American status during his freshman season.  All tournament play can be followed during 5/24-27 at http://www.goosepond.org/njcaa.  Final 2005 region results are as follows:

Teams	Round #1	Round #2	Round #3	Round #4	Totals
So Mtn.CC	288	285	287	285	1145
Mesa	292	291	279	306	1168
Phx C.	294	287	283	307	1171
Glendale	303	294	285	293	1175
Paradise V	303	302	289	303	1197
Gateway	305	293	297	312	1207

SMCC Individual Results

Name	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total	Place
Rutledge	67	67	66	72	272	1st
Aydelotte	73	72	73	67	285	4th
Capps	72	75	75	72	294	8th
Carlson	76	73	74	74	297	11th
Beaty	80	73	74	75	302	18th

Top “10” All-Region Individuals in bold