Lamar's M.J. Daffue Named Southland Men's Golfer of the Year
FRISCO, Texas - Lamar junior M.J. Daffue was selected the 2010-11 Southland Conference Men's Golfer of the Year by a vote of the league's coaches and sports information directors the conference office announced Monday in conjunction with the release of the all-conference teams.
Daffue earned medalist honors last week at the conference championship at Waterchase Golf Course in Fort Worth in helping to lead his Cardinals to a second-place finish. He birdied the first playoff hole to become Lamar's 17th individual medalist at the conference tournament. Daffue, a junior from Pretoria, South Africa (Waterkloof), fired a 67, the only score under 70 in the final round, to force the playoff with Central Arkansas senior Jad Sinclair. Daffue closed the year with two consecutive victories. He entered the conference tournament with a win at the Wolfpack Spring Open. He averaged 73.41 strokes in 32 rounds and 11 tournaments and finished in the top 10 in four other tournaments.
Additionally, UT Arlington sophomore Paul McConnell was named the conference newcomer of the year while Mavericks' coach Jay Rees was named the league's coach of the year. UTSA freshman Ryan Werre was named the conference freshman of the year.
McConnell shot three rounds of 72 at the conference championship to finish eighth (216) in his first season at UT Arlington after transferring from the University of Colorado. The sophomore from Garland, Texas (Bishop Lynch) won the San Diego Intercollegiate, March 14-15. He finished in the top five of one other tournament and registered an additional top-10 finish. In 11 tournaments and 33 rounds this season, McConnell averaged 73.15 strokes.
Rees guided the Mavericks to their first Southland Conference championship since 2005 and the fourth in school history. It was the school's second conference championship in his 12 seasons with the Mavericks. UT Arlington entered the final round of the tournament with a one-stroke lead before winning the event by 10 strokes on the par-72, 7,304-yard Waterchase Golf Course. The Mavericks played the final three holes at five-under as a team. The team's three-round total of 862 marked its second-lowest score in the conference tournament and the team's lowest score since it won the 2005 conference title with a score of 861. The victory was the third of the season for the Mavericks, who also won the Lone Star Invitational in October and the San Diego Intercollegiate in March. The three wins are the most in one season during Rees' tenure.
Werre tied for third in his first conference tournament, just two shots out of first. He was the first-round leader after he turned in a 71. It was the only score under par in the opening round. The freshman from Redcliff, Alberta (Eagle Butte), followed with a 69 in round two before settling for a 74 in the final round for a 214, still two shots under par. In 12 tournaments totaling 36 rounds, Werre averaged 74.69 strokes per round without one tournament victory. He did manage one top-five finish, two top-10 finishes and another two top-20 outings.
Daffue also earned first-team all-conference honors and was joined on the team by Zack Fischer and Wes Worster from UT Arlington, Philipp Westermann from Southeastern Louisiana and Steven Lecuyer from Central Arkansas. Fischer and Lecuyer earned all-conference honors for the third time in their careers. Fischer also earned all-conference honors in 2008 and 2010, while Lecuyer previously was an all-conference selection in 2009 and 2010. Daffue and Worster make their first appearance on the all-conference teams. Worster, the 2010 newcomer of the year, earned honorable mention last season.
Fischer, who is the Southland's top-ranked golfer according to Golf Stat, tied for fifth at the conference championship. It was his second top-five finish of the season. The senior from Texarkana, Texas, also had three other top-10 finishes and a pair of top-20 efforts. He averaged 72.58 strokes per round in 11 tournaments totaling 33 rounds this season. Lecuyer led the conference in stroke average this season. The senior from Edmonton, Alberta, averaged 72.0 strokes per round in 33 rounds and 11 tournaments this season. He tied was the medalist at the Samford Invitational in March for his lone win this season and finished in the top 10 in nine of his 10 events this year.
Worster finished in a third-place tie with Werre at the conference tournament. He sandwiched a 66 between rounds of 74 to finish two strokes off the pace. Worster, a senior from Durban, South Africa, averaged 73.12 strokes per round in 11 tournaments this season and while he did not have a win, he had four top-five finishes and another two in the top 20. Westermann earns first-team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season. The sophomore from Pinneberg, Germany, tied for 10th, seven strokes behind the medalist with a 219. Westermann won twice this season, including the BancorpSouth Intercollegiate and the Jim West Intercollegiate. He also had two other top-five scores and a pair of top-10 finishes.
Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana and UT Arlington each placed three players on the three all-conference teams. In addition to the Mavericks' two first-team selections, McConnell was a second-team selection. In addition to Daffue, who garnered first-team honors, Lamar also placed junior Kevin Hesbois on the second team and junior Xavier Fayaerts to the third team. Southeastern Louisiana senior Cedric Scotto, a three-time all-conference selection and individual medalist in 2009, closed his career with second-team honors. Junior Horacio Leon earned third-team mention for the Lions.
Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin each placed two on the all-conference teams, while Sam Houston State and UTSA each placed one. Another five golfers earned honorable mention honors, including two from Texas State and one each from Central Arkansas, Nicholls and UTSA.
The second team was comprised of Scotto, McConnell and Hesbois in addition to Stephen F. Austin sophomore Mitchell McLeroy and Central Arkansas senior Jad Sinclair, who lost to Daffue in the sudden death playoff that determined the individual medalist. Each finished 4-under par through 54 holes.
Werre, Leon and Feyaerts were joined on the third team by Sam Houston State junior Blaine Weiterman and Stephen F. Austin junior Stetson McMillan.
Texas State juniors Alastair Jones and Tom Moore, Central Arkansas senior Gideon Pienaar, Nicholls freshman Kristjian Einarsson and UTSA senior Lewis Chong earned honorable mention all-conference honors after receiving votes from at least 25 percent of the league's coaches and sports information directors.
2011 Men's Golf All-Southland Conference Team
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First Team
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M.J. Daffue
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Lamar
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Jr.
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Pretoria, South Africa
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Zack Fischer
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UT Arlington
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Sr.
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Texarkana, Texas
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Philipp Westermann
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Southeastern La.
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So.
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Pinneberg, Germany
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Wes Worster
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UT Arlington
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Sr.
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Durban, South Africa
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Steven Lecuyer
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Central Arkansas
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Sr.
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Edmonton, Alberta
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Second Team
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Cedric Scotto
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Southeastern La.
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Sr.
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Albi, France
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Jad Sinclair
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Central Arkansas
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Sr.
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East London, South Africa
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Mitchell McLeroy
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Stephen F. Austin
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So.
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Mansfield, Texas
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Paul McConnell
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UT Arlington
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So.
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Garland, Texas
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Kevin Hesbois
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Lamar
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Jr.
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Tildonk, Belgium
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Third Team
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Blaine Weiterman
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Sam Houston State
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Jr.
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Overton, Texas
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Ryan Werre
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UTSA
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Fr.
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Redcliff, Alberta
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Stetson McMillan
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Stephen F. Austin
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Jr.
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Hideaway, Texas
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Horacio Leon
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Southeastern La.
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Jr.
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Santiago, Chile
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Xavier Feyaerts
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Lamar
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Jr.
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Heist-Op-Den-Berg, Belgium
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Honorable Mention
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Alastair Jones
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Texas State
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Jr.
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(Radyr) Cardiff, Wales U.K.
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Gideon Pienaar
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Central Arkansas
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Sr.
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Pongola, South Africa
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Kristjian Einarsson
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Nicholls
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Fr.
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Mosfellsbaer, Iceland
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Lewis Chong
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UTSA
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Sr.
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Lethbridge, Alberta
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Tom Moore
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Texas State
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Jr.
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Huntington Beach, Calif.
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Player of the Year: M.J. Daffue, Lamar
Newcomer of the Year: Paul McConnell, UT Arlington
Freshman of the Year: Ryan Werre, UTSA
Coach of the Year: Jay Rees, UT Arlington
- www.Southland.org -