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List and Donnell to Play in Nationwide Tour Event This Weekend 5/5/2004
List and Donnell to Play in Nationwide Tour Event This Weekend Two Vanderbilt men’s golfers, freshman Luke List and junior Mark Donnell, will participate in this weekend’s Chattanooga Classic Nationwide Tour event at the Black Creek Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn., over May 6-9. List earned his entry into the field through a sponsor’s exemption, while Donnell qualified for the tournament by firing a round of 64 at the Valley Brook Country Club to finish second out of 108 golfers in his qualifying bracket. “This is great for both of them,” said Vanderbilt head coach Press McPhaul. “Luke has had a super year for us. After his experience last year of getting to play in the U.S. Open, this will be another terrific opportunity for him to compete as an amateur at the professional level. Mark is playing with tremendous confidence right now after shooting a 64 in his qualifying round and finishing second at the SEC Championship. He’s showing that all his hard work is paying off.” List, an All-SEC First Team selection, is familiar with the layout of the par-72, 7,040-yard Black Creek Golf Club course having played there many times while residing just south of the Chattanooga area in Ringgold, Ga. During his initial campaign with the Commodores, the rookie has posted eight top ten finishes in 11 events while leading the squad in scoring average at 71.97. List has already set two VU records during his short stint in the Black and Gold. He carded a 7-under par 65 at the Country Club of Louisiana Intercollegiate to establish the school mark for most shots under par in a single round. Most recently he fired a nine-under par 63 at the Hyatt/Dorado Beach Intercollegiate to set a new Vanderbilt record for the lowest single round score. The old mark of 65 was shared by both List and former Vanderbilt All-America Brandt Snedeker. “Being included in this tournament feels great,” said List. “It is an honor to be chosen by the committee in the Chattanooga area to play on what I can consider my home course. It will be a lot of fun to play in front of my friends and family. The first person to call and tell me that I had received an exemption into the tournament was my former high school golf coach, King Oehmig. That was a great way to find out.” Donnell, a native of Mobile, Ala., will be participating in his first professional tournament at this weekend’s Chattanooga Classic. During the 2003-04 campaign, the junior has posted four top 15 finishes, including a fifth-place showing (7-under par 209) at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions to help Vanderbilt nab the team title. Most recently at the SEC Championship in Sea Island, Ga. (April 16-18), Donnell fired rounds of 70-71-67 for a three-day total of 2-under par 208 to finish just one shot out of tying for medallist honors. He currently ranks second on the Commodore squad in scoring average at 74.31. “I decided to attempt to qualify for the Nationwide event due to all the time off our team had between the SEC Championship and NCAA Regionals,” said Donnell. “I needed to do something competitive to stay sharp and decided to give the qualifying round a shot. It worked out well for me because I got it going out there during qualifying and didn’t make any mistakes. The guy I played with shot a 63 to finish first while I carded a 64 for second place, so it was a lot of fun. This will be great experience for me to play against players on the professional level.” The Vanderbilt men’s golf team now awaits word on a possible berth into the NCAA Regionals over May 20-22. Pre-established sites include the Yale Golf Course in New Haven, Conn. (East Regional), the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. (Central Regional) and the Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore. (West Regional). The NCAA Championships will be held in Hot Springs, Va., at the Cascades Golf Course, The Homestead, over June 1-4. |
