April 16, 2004

FORT WORTH, Texas - On Monday, April 19, the 10th-ranked TCU men's golf team will begin defending its Conference USA title in Dade City, Fla. at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club, the same course that saw the Horned Frogs claim a seven-stroke victory in the 2003 C-USA Championship. The 54-hole tournament will run from Monday through Wednesday and features each of the league's 14 teams.

TCU enters the tournament having won three straight conference crowns, with the last two coming as a member of Conference USA. The men's golf team is attempting to become the first TCU athletics team to win four straight league titles since the men's tennis team accomplished the feat from 1994-1997.

The Horned Frogs field four golfers rated among the nation's top 100 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings system. Senior Adam Meyer (26th), a first-team all-conference selection in 2003, leads the TCU attack. The native of China Spring, Texas, owns a team-best 71.60 stroke average and has placed in the top 15 in eight of the squad's 10 events this season.

Sophomore Colby Beckstrom has also enjoyed a fine campaign. The nation's 60th-ranked collegiate golfer was the individual medalist at the Prestige at PGA West, and has five other top-20 finishes this season. The North Muskegon, Mich., product was the Conference USA Freshman of the Year last season and currently has a 72.53 stroke average for the 2003-04 campaign.

Junior David Schultz enters the championship rated 78th nationally. A first-team all-league performer and honorable mention All-American last year, Schultz carries a 72.88 stroke average. The Fargo, N.D., native owns three top-15 finishes, including one in the Frogs' most recent tournament, the Boilermaker Invitational.

J.J. Killeen, who is rated 85th nationally, is coming off a career-best sixth-place finish in his last outing. He has two top-10 landings and a stroke average of 72.90 on the year. A junior from Lubbock, Texas, Killeen advanced to the round of 16 at last summer's U.S. Amateur.

Stephen Polanski is the final member of the Horned Frog roster. A native of Livonia, Mich., Polanski is the lone four-year player on the squad. This season he sports a career-best 74.22 stroke average and recently had a personal-best 19th-place finish at the Hall of Fame Invitational.

The Horned Frogs, who enter the Conference USA Championship as the league's highest-rated team, have placed in the top four in six of their 10 events this season. The team's last victory came at this tournament nearly one year ago. All five TCU players placed in the top 25, with Meyer finishing as the league's runner up.

The tournament's winning team receives an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Regionals. The Horned Frogs have advanced to the regionals each of the past 14 seasons under head coach Bill Montigel, and have reached the NCAA Championships nine times over that span. Montigel has garnered two straight Conference USA Coach of the Year Awards.

Tee times have not been set for the tournament, and there will not be live scoring of the event on the internet. Results will be posted on www.gofrogs.com following each round.

-www.gofrogs.com-