WALLACE BOOTH TAKES HIS FIRST COLLEGIATE TITLE

Career-low, six-under 65 propels Jaguar senior to first collegiate victory
From the website of Augusta State:
AWENDAW, S.C. -- Augusta State’s Wallace Booth fired a final-round, six-under 65 Tuesday to capture The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate at Bulls Bay Golf Club just outside of Charleston.
The victory is the first collegiate title for Booth, a senior from Perthshire, Scotland. His six-under 65 marks his lowest round as a collegian, besting the five-under 67 he registered in the second round of the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic at The Farm Golf Club last fall in Rocky Face, Ga. The effort also is the lowest final round by a Jaguar in a victory since former standout Oliver Wilson shot an eight-under 64 in the final round of the 2003 Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational at Forest Hills Golf Club.
The win also marked the third consecutive year a Jaguar has claimed medalist honors at The Hootie. Then-sophomore Jamie Miller won the tourney title on the strength of a second-round, seven-under 64 last year and Scott Jamieson had a final-round 68 to win the 2005 tourney.
Booth’s effort sparked ASU to a fifth-place finish -- its best finish of the season -- and matched Baylor for the low round of the day, a seven-under 277. Senior Major Manning carded a four-under 67 and jumped from 15th into a tie for seventh. Miller tallied a one-over 72 and finished 73rd, while sophomore Tarik Can posted a two-over 73 and tied for 58th. Junior Keith Guest had a three-over 74 and didn’t count toward the Jags’ team total, but posted ASU’s third-best finish – a tie for 36th – that included a first round of three-under 68.
“This is great – it’s a pretty awesome feeling,” said Booth, who tallied his second top-20 finish of the year with the win. “I didn’t have any idea about my chances (to win) until Coach Gregory told me what the situation was on the 17th hole. He pretty much let me do my thing out there on the course today and didn’t say a whole lot, which is what he normally does so things seemed pretty normal. I just wanted to finish strong and see where a good round would put me at the end of the day.”
Booth played the front nine in three-under 33 before reaching the 630-yard, par-five 10th hole. After a drive of 410 yards from an elevated tee, Booth hit a 3-iron to 35 feet and drained the putt for eagle. After a birdie at the par-3 12th moved him to five-under on his round, he suffered his lone miscue of the day on the par-4 16th. He bounced back with a birdie at the 17th, rolling in a 15-footer that turned out to be the difference.
Wake Forest’s Webb Simpson and 36-hole leader Greg Forest of Central Florida finished a shot back of Booth at seven-under 206. Jeremy Frye of Baylor and North Carolina’s Martin Ureta were two shots off the pace, tying for fourth at six-under 207.
The Jaguars, who began the final round in seventh place, also posted their lowest round of the season with their team total of 277. ASU fired an eight-under 280 at the General Jim Hackler Invitational two weekends ago in Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Wake Forest edged Baylor in a playoff for the team title, while Florida State was third. First and second-round leader Central Florida was the only team among the top seven to not shoot under par in the final round. The Golden Knights signed for a four-over 288 and took fourth, nine shots clear of ASU.
The Jaguars now turn their attention to hosting the Administaff Augusta State Invitational, slated for Friday-Sunday, March 30-April 1 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Ga.
For full-field results of the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, log on to www.golfstat.com.
Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate
Bulls Bay Golf Club
Awendaw, S.C.
Par 71 – 7,261 yards
March 25-27, 2007
Leading scores
205 Wallace Booth (Augusta State) 71 69 65
206 Greg Forest (UCF) 66 67 73, Webb Simpson (Wake Forest Univ) 72 68 66
207 Jeremy Frye (Baylor) 68 69 70, Martin Ureta (North Carolina) 72 69 66
208 Dustin Johnson (Coastal Carolina) 70 70 68
Team Results
1. Wake Forest 283-279-278=840 (-12)
Baylor 283-280-277=840 (-12)
3. Florida State 274-289-282=845 (-7)
4. Central Florida 270-288-288=846 (-6)
5. AUGUSTA STATE 286-292-277=855 (+3)
6. Duke 288-291-281=860 (+8)
7. North Carolina 287-293-282=862 (+10)
Coastal Carolina 285-290-287=862 (+10)
9. South Carolina 289-294-283=-866 (+14)
10. LSU 288-288-294=870 (+18)
11. North Carolina State 297-293-281=871 (+19)
12. College of Charleston 291-295-289=875 (+23)
13. Kentucky 301-285-290=876 (+24)
14. Vanderbilt 292-300-293=885 (+33)
15. Arkansas 307-293-294=894 (+42)