July 29, 2005

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 29, 2005) - Colby Beckstrom, a former TCU golfer who elected to turn professional following the 2004-05 season, made the cut at the PGA Tour's Buick Open after posting a 2-under round of 70 on Friday. Playing in his first PGA Tour event as a pro and second career tour event, his 5-under 36-hole score of 139 has him tied for 44th position.

The native of North Muskegon, Mich., was given a sponsor's exemption into the Buick Open, which is played at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Detroit. Beckstrom played bogey-free golf on Friday and posted a pair of birdies on his second nine.

"I'm really proud of Colby," TCU head coach Bill Montigel said. "For him to make the cut in his first PGA event as a professional is really special. It's always fun to watch someone who represented TCU so well on and off the course continue to do so as a pro."

Beckstrom is tied with another former Horned Frog, J.J. Henry, who had a 1-under 71 on the second day of play. Henry, the 1998 National Co-Golfer of the Year, currently ranks 95th on the PGA Tour's money list.

A two-time first-team all-Conference USA selection, Beckstrom posted a career-best 72.06 scoring average last year. During his time in Fort Worth, he registered a pair of collegiate tournament titles, including a shared victory at the Conference USA Championships in April. He had one year of eligibility remaining had he chosen to return to TCU.

In May, Beckstrom qualified for and competed in the PGA Tour's EDS Byron Nelson Classic in Las Colinas, Texas. He missed the cut by six strokes after firing a two-round score of 146 (+6). The lone amateur in that 156-player field, Beckstrom became the first golfer under Montigel to qualify for a PGA event while still playing for the Horned Frogs.

Beckstrom will tee off Saturday's third round at 9:36 a.m. (CT), while Henry will be playing in the next group at 9:44. For more information on the tournament and for live scoring of the event, visit www.pgatour.com.

-www.gofrogs.com-