Oct. 27, 2002
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - University of Arizona men's golfer Ricky Barnes
shot a two-over-par 74 Sunday in the final round of the World Amateur Golf
Championship to help the United States erase a third round deficit and win
the event by three strokes.
Barnes' final-round 74 combined with D.J. Trahan's 66 (-6) gave Team USA a
total of 140 (-4) for the day and a four-round tally of 568 (-8). The
United States trailed France by three strokes heading into Sunday's final
round, bt France carded a two-over 146 and finished second in the 63-team
field by three strokes with a 571 (-5) total. Australia and the
Philippines tied for third place at 574, while Austria and New Zealand tied
for fifth at 575. No team in the top-20 scored better than the U.S.'s
four-under final round tally.
A senior from Stockton Calif., Barnes tallied 11 pars and two birdies on
the Saujana Golf & Country Club's Palm Course en route to his 74 to finish
in a tie for 16th place individually with a 72-hole total of 293 (+5).
Australia's Marcus Fraser carded a 281 (-7) total to win the event by one
stroke. Trahan's final-round 66 moved him into a tie for 10th place at 291
(+3), while fellow U.S. teammate Hunter Mahan finished sixth at 288 (E).
The United States successfully defended its championship and captured the
Eisenhower Trophy for the 12th time.
The four-day event is contested over two different courses at Saujana Golf
& Country Club. The Palm Course is a par 72, 6,939-yard layout, while the
Bunga Ray Course is a par 72, 6,742-yard layout. Each nation is
represented by a three-man team in this 72-hole stroke play event with the
two lowest scores for each team counting towards its total each day.
Sponsored by the World Amateur Golf Council, which comprises national
governing bodies of golf in more than 90 countries, the World Amateur Team
Championship is a biennial international amateur golf competition which is
rotated among three geographic zones: Australasian, American, and
European-African.
