Oct. 28, 2008

LUBBOCK, Texas - One thing's for certain, No. 29 Texas Tech will improve on its ranking after finishing fourth in the talent-laden Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday. The Red Raiders left in their wake the nation's top three teams and a host of other teams ranked ahead of the squad entering the event.

Facing sub-70 temperatures and a stiff northerly wind, the field struggled to maintain the scores it had throughout the first two rounds of the event. However, only three teams in the 18-team field managed better scores on the day than the Red Raiders as Texas Tech carded a 302 to move up a spot from Monday's fifth-place tie. No. 4 Georgia won the event by 17 strokes over second-place No. 6 Alabama. No. 15 Indiana finished two strokes ahead of the Red Raiders.

Garrett Merrell carded an even three-round event with a pair of bookend 73s and a 70 in the second round. The junior finished in a fifth-place tie with Alabama's Bud Cauley and Clemson's Kyle Stanley. Santiago Rivas (72-73-77--222) finished tied in 18th place, while Chris Ward (74-75-75--224) was tied in 23rd. Will Griffin (81-74-77--232) and Brian Scherer (75-76-91--242) closed the event tied in 57th and 86th places, respectively.

No. 3 Southern California (894) finished fifth, while No. 11 Clemson (895), No. 17 Georgia Tech (895), No. 7 Stanford (901), No. 2 Oklahoma State (902) and UCLA (902) completed the top ten. No. 1 Illinois (906), No. 40 Central Florida (906), No. 16 Texas (907), Arizona (909), No. 26 LSU (911), No. 8 South Carolina (912), No. 48 Kentucky (926) and Charlotte (927) rounded out the field.

The tournament completes the fall schedule for the Red Raiders. For complete results and standings from the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational can be accessed at www.golfstat.com.