Aug. 30, 2009

Senior Matt Twomey (Salem, MA) scored a 234 over three rounds to win the UMass Lowell Open Tryout Thursday at Meadow Creek Golf Club.

Twomey, who shot rounds of 76, 77 and 81 in the three-day competition, solidified his spot on the team for the second straight year as the tryout made up UMass Lowell's 2009-10 roster. The Tryout attracted 16 players.

UMass Lowell's top three returning players - All-Northeast-10 Conference senior Brendan Livingston (Westford, MA), junior Thomas Ayala (East Taunton, MA) and senior Patrick Bean (Fitchburg, MA) - bypassed the tryout due to stellar finishes in 2008-09.

"We are returning three of the five players who went to the NCAA regional championship last year," said head coach Gary Mucica, entering his sixth year. "Plus, I believe this is the strongest group of new players we've ever had. Our depth gives us a real competitive advantage, as does playing at our home course, Meadow Creek, which I feel is the best practice facility in the conference."

Junior Anthony Ullo (Leominster, MA), a Northeast-10 Conference Second Team standout last fall, placed second by two strokes with rounds of 81, 80 and a tournament-low 75 while freshman Travis Kellegrew (Chelmsford, MA) placed third with a 245 (81-77-87).

Senior Mike Farr (Melrose, MA) placed fourth to book his spot on the roster a third straight year as he carded a 249 (83-82-84), one stroke ahead of freshman Tim LeBlanc (Haverhill, MA), who scored an 88-80-86.

Freshman Brian Colbert (Hampstead, NH) placed sixth with a 251 (88-83-80) while junior Tim Borders (Lynn, MA) returns for a second straight season after shooting a 252 (82-89-81).

Sophomores Brandon Robinson (Hampstead, NH) and Greg Malo (Seekonk, MA) solidified the final spots on the roster. Robinson carded a 253, improving from a 90 in the first round to a 77 and an 86, while Malo shot consecutive rounds of 80 before finishing the final with a 93.

Four players will redshirt the season: freshmen Scott Whelan (North Andover, MA), Josh Doherty (Feeding Hills, MA), Corey Keenan and Shaun Velez (East Boston, MA). Whelan, Doherty and Keenan each tied for 10th place with a 255 each while Velez finished with a 257.

UMass Lowell opens the fall season at the Rutgers Invitational Sept. 10-12.