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May 18, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

University of Wyoming junior David Hearn opened the 2000 NCAA West Regional Men's Golf Championship on Thursday with a round of 73, one-over par. Hearn is tied for 49th entering Friday's second round, but he is only six shots back of the leaders -- Manuel Merizalde of BYU and Parker McLachlin of UCLA, who both fired rounds of five-under par 67 on Thursday. The West Regional is being played at the Riverbend Golf Course in Fresno, Calif., and is being hosted by Fresno State University.

This marks the second consecutive year that Hearn has earned his way to the NCAA West Regional. At the '99 West Regional in Tucson, Ariz., Hearn placed 17th and missed advancing to the NCAA Championship by one place. Hearn is coming off an eighth-place showing at the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships in Palm Desert, Calif., May 1-3.

"David's (Hearn) score of 73 didn't really indicate how well he played today," said UW men's golf coach Roger Prenzlow. "He had a couple shots that looked good in the air, but when he got up to the green he didn't get the result he was looking for. Those two unfortunate shots resulted in two bogeys on the back nine. Overall, he played a very solid round of golf. David didn't have many breaks go his way today, and he was still able to shoot a 73. He's definitely playing good enough to put two good scores on the board in the next two rounds, and I feel he has a good chance to advance to the NCAAs if he can keep playing this way."

Leading the team competition is BYU with a team score of 276, 12-under par. UNLV of the Mountain West Conference is tied for fifth (282), New Mexico is in seventh (284), Colorado State is tied for 16th (294) and San Diego State is tied for 18th (297). Hearn is the only participant for Wyoming.

The West Regional includes three 18-hole rounds. The second round will be played on Friday, May 19, and the final round will be played Saturday, May 20.

The NCAA West Regional is composed of Districts 7 and 8 and nine at-large teams. Wyoming is located in District 7. The 2000 NCAA West Regional will be composed of the following teams and individuals, each team competing consists of five individuals: District 7 -- Six teams and two individuals Teams: Brigham Young, Fresno State, New Mexico, Colorado State, San Diego State, UTEP Individuals: David Hearn, Wyoming, Ryan Ellis, Utah. District 8 -- Twelve teams and one individual Teams: Arizona State, UNLV, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Pepperdine, USC, Long Beach State Individual: One Individual At-large -- Nine teams from a national pool and three West Regional individuals Teams: Pacific, Cal State Northridge, Idaho, Princeton, Wright State, Navy, Towson State, Iona, Maryland-Baltimore County Individuals: Three individuals

In men's collegiate golf, the NCAA Division I Championship begins with three regional competitions. In addition to the West Regional, there is also a Central and East Regional. All three regionals are being contested May 18-20. The Central Regional is being held at Victoria Country Club in Victoria, Texas, hosted by Southwest Texas State. The East Regional is being played at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, Pa., hosted by Temple University.

The NCAA Division I Championship will be hosted by Auburn University on May 31 - June 3 at the Grand National Golf Course in Auburn, Ala.

A total of 421 individuals will be competing at the Regional competitions with 156 advancing to the NCAA Championship. Those 156 participants will consist of at least eight teams from each regional. The two lowest scoring individuals from each regional, whose teams do not advance, will also move on to the championship finals. The remainder of the NCAA Championship field will be selected by the Division I Men's Golf Committee.