MISSION HILLS, Kan. ? Illinois State's Ben Murphy shot a tournament low 66 on Tuesday's final round to help Illinois State to a 13-stroke victory over second-place Wichita State at the 2007 State Farm MVC Men's Golf Championship. John Sutko of Creighton fired a 68 on Tuesday to win medalist honors by four strokes over Murphy.
At the post-championship awards presentation, the league recognized a Newcomer of the Year (Wichita State's Dustin Garza) and Golfer of the Year (Matt Miller of Illinois State). The awards were voted upon by head coaches.
2007 State Farm MVC Tournament - STATS - Click Here!
The 54-hole event was held April 23-24 at the par-70, Kansas City Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan. The first 36-holes were played Monday. Sutko won his second-straight medalist honor after winning a tournament last week. He now owns three meet wins this season and four in his career, is seeking to become the school’s first conference champion on the links since 1938 (Bob Fraser). The Omaha native has shot 22-of-23 rounds of 75 or better this season, including four rounds in the 60’s.
The Redbirds, who were tabbed to finish second in the league’s pre-championship poll, extended their lead to 13 strokes, after heading into today's final round with a 11-stroke advantage over pre-championship favorite Wichita State. The Redbirds fired a three-round 283-289-281=853 to win the league golf title for the second time in three years. Wichita State, which won the team title in 2006, finished second with a three-round 282-301-283=866. Creighton, meanwhile, behind Sutko's medalist performance, had its highest finish in nearly 60 years at the conference tournament as the Bluejays carded a team score of 310-283-300=893 to finish third. Southern Illinois - picked last in the pre-championship coaches poll - came in fourth with a three-round 898.
Drake placed fifth (901), followed by Missouri State and Northern Iowa (each with a 906), Evansville (910) and Bradley (914).
Additional pre-championship information (maps, etc.) is available by clicking on the PDF at the bottom of this page.
All-Conference Team (top six finishers and at-large selections)
Matt Miller, Illinois State
Drew Miller, Illinois State
Ben Murphy, Illinois State
Cameron Bishop, Wichita State
Dustin Garza, Wichita State
Ryan Spears, Wichita State
John Sutko, Creighton
Matt Sullivan, Missouri State
Ross Hamann, Drake
Jordan Weber, Northern Iowa
Golfer of the Year: Matt Miller, Illinois State
Newcomer of the Year: Dustin Garza, Wichita State
Coach of the Year: Ray Kralis, Illinois State
Course Information. Kansas City Country Club, (912)362-8103, 6200 Indian Lane, Mission Hills, KS 66208 is the host site for the 2007 MVC Men’s Golf Championship. Founded on May 1, 1896 The Kansas City Country Club is the third oldest country club west of the Mississippi River. The club has a proud heritage and was founded on a strong love of the game of golf. With 127 founding members the club was originally located at the current site of Loose Park in Missouri. In 1926 the club relocated to its current location in Mission Hills, Kansas. Renowned golf course architect, A.W. Tillinghast, was hired to design the new golf course. He provided models of all greens, traps, blue prints and surveys of the course. Over the years The Kansas City Country Club has played host to many regional and national tournaments. It has hosted the Trans-Mississippi Amateur, the Missouri Amateur, the Kansas Amateur, numerous state championships and USGA qualifiers.