Mustang Intercollegiate, Monday/Tuesday, 8 a.m. [Leaderboard]
hosted by Western New Mexico at Palm Valley GC, Goodyear, Ariz.
 

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THE TOURNAMENT
In one final tune-up before they look to defend their RMAC Championship, Colorado School of Mines heads to the always-competitive Mustang Invitational in Goodyear, Ariz. The 54-hole tournament will have two rounds on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday. The field includes the majority of the RMAC along with regional foes such as the host Western New Mexico, Western Washington, and Cal State East Bay.  

LAST TIME OUT
Mines won their second consecutive outing, this time capturing the Bob Writz Invitational title at Bear Creek. Mines overcame overnight leader CSU-Pueblo to win at +29, five strokes better than Colorado Mesa and six ahead of CSUP. Alan Berry was the low D-II finisher in third, while Tim Amundson was tied for fourth and George Markham ended T11.

LAST YEAR AT THE MUSTANG INTERCOLLEGIATE
Mines finished second in a strong field at last year's Mustang Intercollegiate as the Orediggers, Dixie State, and UCCS each held the lead at some point in the final nine holes before DSU won the tournament. Mines finished -23, only two strokes off the lead, led by Nic Beno, whose -10 earned him a tie for fourth. Alan Berry's career-low 67 in the final round helped him finish T13 while George Markham tied for 24th and Tim Amundson was T44.  

BERRY CLAIMS RMAC GOLFER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Alan Berry was selected as the RMAC Golfer of the Week on March 27 after his Bob Writz Invitational performance which saw him shoot rounds of 72 and 75 for third on the very difficult Bear Creek layout. He earned the award for the second time in his career, coincidentally both coming after playing in the Bob Writz.

MARKHAM WINS AGA CHAMPIONSHIP
As he returns to his native Arizona this week, senior George Markham will do as the reigning Arizona Golf Association Championship winner. Outside of Mines competition, Markham won the AGA Championship back on March 10, shooting a tournament-record -14. Preston Smith also performed well in that tournament at T7 as the duo both competed as amateurs.

OREDIGGERS CLEAN UP PRESEASON AWARDS
Led by Preseason Golfer of the Year George Markham, defending RMAC champion Mines was well-represented on the RMAC preseason teams released last fall. Markham was one of three Orediggers to make the preseason all-RMAC team along with Nic Beno and Tim Amundson. The Orediggers were also selected as the favorite to repeat in the coaches' poll, picking up 70 points overall including five of the 10 first-place votes to tip UCCS (64 points, 3 first) and new RMAC member Dixie State (58 points, 1 first) at the top of the poll.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers head back to Arizona for the 2019 RMAC Championships at Ocotillo GC, which start Easter Sunday, April 21, and run through April 23.
 

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MINES PROJECTED LINEUP
1. George Markham (Sr., 72.94 avg.)
Was T11 at the Bob Writz … Won the Mustang Intercollegiate as a sophomore in 2017
2. Preston Smith (R-So., 73.85 avg.)
Has back-to-back top-20 finishes, coming 2nd at the Coyote Classic and T14 at the Bob Writz
3. Tim Amundson (Jr., 75.56 avg.)
Also has consecutive back-to-back top-20s including a T4 showing at the Bob Writz
4. Nic Beno (Jr.., 75.53 avg.)
Was Mines' low finisher at last year's Mustang Intercollegiate at T4 … Was T8 at the Bob Writz
5. Alan Berry (Sr., 73.83 avg.)
RMAC Golfer of the Week after finishing 3rd at the Bob Writz … Was T13 at the 2018 Mustang Intercollegiate