May 31, 2002

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Through 14 holes on Friday, it appeared that Northwestern sophomore Tom Johnson (Fair Oaks, Calif./Del Campo) was going to be one of the lucky golfers to escape the third round with a near-even par score.

Strong gusty winds at Ohio State's Scarlet Course made playing conditions less-than-ideal on this third day of the NCAA Men's Golf National Championships. And for the third straight day, rain forced a late-afternoon delay for two hours, but after Johnson's third round was complete.

Aided by an eagle on the par-5 12th hole, Johnson went into the final four holes at 1-over. Unfortunately for him, he bogey the next three holes and then finished with his second double-bogey of the day on the 18th hole. That left Johnson at 6-over for the day and 11-over for the tournament.

He is now tied for 126th place out of a field of 156 golfers.

In the team competition, Georgia Tech, Tulsa and Washington are in first, second and third place, respectively, with one stroke separating each of them. Big Ten entrant Minnesota is tied for fourth place and three strokes behind the front-running Yellow Jackets. Individually, UAB's Graeme McDowell is 8-under and one stroke in front of Oklahoma State's Hunter Mahan.

The tournament concludes tomorrow. Johnson is scheduled to tee off at 12:03 p.m. CDT.

For more information on the tournament, and to follow Johnson's final round, visit Golfstat Live and Ohio State web site.