GULFPORT, Miss. - Guided by junior Colby Beckstrom and sophomore Drew Stoltz, the No. 10 ranked TCU men’s golf team turned in a final round score of 281 to claim its fourth straight Conference USA Tournament title at the Grand Bear Golf Club in Gulfport, Miss. Beckstrom (67-71-71=209), who had his best performance in the opening round with a score of 67, and Stoltz (70-69-70=209), who remained consistent throughout the week, both finished with a tournament-best 209, seven under par. The Horned Frogs finished with a tournament total of 841, 26 strokes ahead of their closest competitor.

TCU produced four of the top five finishers en route to tabbing all but one spot on the All-Tournament team. Joining Beckstrom and Stoltz were teammates David Schultz and James Sacheck, the third and fourth place finishers, respectively. Schultz finished the three-day event four-under par (212), while Sacheck came back from firing a three-over, 75 on the second day, to earn fourth place with a tournament total of 213. Rounding out the top five golfers was UAB’s Garrett Osborn, who finished with an overall score of 214.

Charlotte took the second place finish with a team total of 867 and placed three competitors in the top 12. Tulane produced a third place finish with a total of 872, after being just one stroke behind league foe UAB following the second day of play. UAB finished fourth with an overall score of 877, while Louisville rounded out the top five with a score of 883.

Houston (887), Memphis (898), Southern Miss (900), Marquette (901), and East Carolina (905) rounded out spots 6-10, while Cincinnati (918), DePaul (919), USF (919) and Saint Louis (939), finished 11-14, respectively.

A total of 11 players finished under par on the tournament’s final day, a significant improvement from just five that shot lower than 72 on the second day and eight that were below in the opening round.

Conference USA also announced its 2005 awards on Wednesday, with TCU taking two of the three individual accolades.

J.J. Killeen, who was named C-USA’s Player of the Year, finished the tournament tied for 19th place as the senior posted an overall score of 221. Bill Montigel earned Coach of the Year honors for the fourth year in a row as a member of C-USA, and the sixth time in his career. Cardinal’s freshman Daryl Fathauer finished tied for 11th place with a two-over par (218) score en route to claiming the 2005 C-USA Freshman of the Year honor.

Beckstrom and Stoltz were joined by Killeen on the All-Conference First Team, giving the Horned Frogs three first team picks for the third year in a row. Also named to the first team were Tulane’s Michael Thompson, who earned 2004 Freshman of the Year honors, and Fathauer. Seven different schools had at least one player earn first, second or third team All-Conference recognition. TCU, Louisville and Charlotte all had three selections, while Tulane and UAB each had two.

Since joining the league in 2002, the Horned Frogs have won all four league championships, four C-USA Coach of the Year titles and three C-USA Player of the Year awards. The Conference USA champion receives an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Regionals, an event TCU has reached each year since 1990.

2005 CONFERENCE USA MEN’S GOLF AWARDS

Player of the Year
J.J. Killeen, TCU

Freshman of the Year
Daryl Fathauer, Louisville

Coach of the Year
Bill Montigel, TCU

First Team All-Conference
J.J. Killeen, TCU
Michael Thompson, Tulane
Colby Beckstrom, TCU
David Schultz, TCU
Daryl Fathauer, Louisville

Second Team All-Conference
Derek Fathuer, Louisville
Chris Wheeler, Tulane
Andrew DiBitetto, Charlotte
Matt Mincer, Charlotte
Garrett Osborn, UAB

Third Team All-Conference
Charlie Woo, Louisville
Ray Sheedy, Charlotte
Ryan Thomas, UAB
Kevin Fortin-Simard, Memphis
Pablo Acuna, Houston

All-Freshman Team
Daryl Fathauer, Louisville
Derek Fathauer, Louisville
Andrew DiBitetto, Charlotte
Kevin Fortin-Simard, Memphis
Ted Gray, Marquette

Co-Tournament Champions
Colby Beckstrom, TCU
Drew Stoltz, TCU

All-Tournament Team
Colby Beckstrom, TCU
Drew Stoltz, TCU
David Schultz, TCU
James Sacheck, TCU
Garrett Osborn, UAB