University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Memphis Men’s Golf Announces 2016-17 Schedule
Aug 02, 2016 | Men's Golf
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Memphis head men's golf coach Blake Smart has announced his program's 2016-17 schedule, which consists of a six-tournament fall season before a five-tournament spring, capped at the American Athletic Conference Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida.
"I think this year's schedule will be a challenge for this young squad," said Smart. "We will find out where we are in the grand scheme quickly, but we will also have opportunities to go a win a few times this year. If we can get the right five players in the van each week it will be a great year."
Of the six tournaments in the fall, four are first-time events for the Tigers, with only the Memphis Invitational and Quail Valley Collegiate being holdovers from previous seasons.
"I am excited about the fall schedule this year," said Smart. "We had an opportunity to raise the level of the schedule both in terms of field and venue, and we are taking advantage of that. The biggest addition is the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic, which has long been a top-10 event in the country and is played at a fantastic venue in The Farm Golf Club. We will be playing six events over seven weeks in the fall, and it will be a whirlwind, but the guys will love the competition we will face and the places we will go."
The Tigers open the season from September 9-11 at the 28th annual Carpet Capital Collegiate, hosted at The Farm Golf Course in Dalton, Georgia, a par-72, 7,012 yard course designed by Tom Fazio. Among the early entrants for the 2016 field include Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kennesaw State, North Florida, and Chattanooga.
One week later the team travels to Franklin, Tennessee, to compete in The Grove Intercollegiate, hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. The competition is a three-day event that runs from September 18-20. The Grove Club, is an 18-hole Greg Norman signature course and has a distance of 7,368 yards over its par-72 layout. Early entrants into the event include Cincinnati, Georgia, Louisville, Ole Miss, NC State, Wisconsin, Kennesaw State, Louisiana, Troy, Elon, and McNeese State.
The following week the Tigers host their lone home tournament of the season, the Memphis Invitational hosted at the Colonial Country Club, and the tournament runs for two days on September 26 and 27. Last season the course measured 7,304 yards and was a par-72. The Tigers are the defending champions of the tournament, carding a three-round score of 859 (five strokes under par), topping the field by three strokes.
From October 10-11, the squad travels to Bridgeport, West Virginia, to compete in The Mountaineer Intercollegiate, hosted at the Pete Dye Golf Club. The 2016 tournament will be the second year of the tournament, played on a 7,308 yard par-72 course. Among the teams that attended last season includes Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Mississippi State, Missouri, Penn State, Seton Hall, St. John's, Toledo, Towson, UConn, and West Virginia.
The Tigers travel south to Vero Beach, Florida for an October 24-25 tournament at the Quail Valley Collegiate. The Quail Valley Golf Course is a par-72, 7,325-yard course that saw Memphis take fifth in the field at seven stokes under par, as North Texas and Michigan State tied for the team victory. The teams that competed last season in the event included the two tied for the team lead, N.C. State, Mississippi State, Indiana, West Virginia, UConn, North Florida, McNeese State, Jacksonville, Stephen F. Austin, Rice, Louisiana Tech, and South Dakota State.
The fall season is capped off at the three-day Kiawah Classic in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The tournament, hosted by Charleston Southern, is played at Turtle Point Golf Club, a par 72, 7,100-yard course. Last season host Charleston Southern took home the team title, as the field also included Virginia, Duke, August, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and many others among the 22-team field.
The team's spring schedule remains largely the same, with the team competing in events they took part in at some point over the last two seasons.
"The spring schedule did not see much change because we liked how things fell timing-wise last year, and the venues are all very enjoyable," said Smart. "The spring is once again highlighted by the Valspar Collegiate Invitational at the Floridian National Golf Club. The Valspar was the strongest regular season field in college golf last year and we can't wait to go back for our third time."
The fall season kicks off on March 6-7 at the Colleton River Collegiate. The event hosted at the Colleton River Plantation Course, saw the Tigers take second place on the par-72, 7,297-yard course. Memphis's +29 aggregate score was two strokes behind champion Charleston, and two strokes ahead of Michigan State. Recent Tiger graduate Thomas Perrot was the individual medalist at the event, as he finished one stroke over par for the tournament, which included Cincinnati, UConn, Xavier, Bowling Green, Rutgers, and Toledo.
After a week break, the team travels back to Florida to compete in the Valspar Collegiate. The event, played on the Floridian National Golf Club, was a par-71, 6,999-yard event, and featured many nationally ranked teams including Texas, LSU, Texas A/&M, Oklahoma State, Illinois, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson, as every team in the field was in the top-48 in the country at the time of the event.
The following weekend the squad travels to West Point, Mississippi, to compete in the Fifth Annual Old Waverly Collegiate, an event the Tigers last competed in during the 2014-15 season, and the Tigers finished sixth at the event. Mississippi State serves at the host of the tournament, hosted at the Old Waverly Golf Club, a par-72 course.
On April 14 and 15 the team travels to Ardmore, Oklahoma for the second straight season to compete in The Maxwell Intercollegiate. The event, which is held at Dornick Hills Golf Club and is a par-70 over 6,586 yards of course, was canceled after two rounds this past season because of weather. In the event, the Tigers took fifth overall, with Lars van Meijel taking second place in the field. Among the other teams in the strong field included Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Houston, and Augusta.
The regular season closes on April 22-25 for the American Athletic Conference Championships, hosted in Palm Harbor, Florida, at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook. A season ago, Memphis took second in the field at the championships, with Perrot finishing as the tournament runner-up, a stroke away from medalist honors.
"I think this year's schedule will be a challenge for this young squad," said Smart. "We will find out where we are in the grand scheme quickly, but we will also have opportunities to go a win a few times this year. If we can get the right five players in the van each week it will be a great year."
Of the six tournaments in the fall, four are first-time events for the Tigers, with only the Memphis Invitational and Quail Valley Collegiate being holdovers from previous seasons.
"I am excited about the fall schedule this year," said Smart. "We had an opportunity to raise the level of the schedule both in terms of field and venue, and we are taking advantage of that. The biggest addition is the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic, which has long been a top-10 event in the country and is played at a fantastic venue in The Farm Golf Club. We will be playing six events over seven weeks in the fall, and it will be a whirlwind, but the guys will love the competition we will face and the places we will go."
The Tigers open the season from September 9-11 at the 28th annual Carpet Capital Collegiate, hosted at The Farm Golf Course in Dalton, Georgia, a par-72, 7,012 yard course designed by Tom Fazio. Among the early entrants for the 2016 field include Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kennesaw State, North Florida, and Chattanooga.
One week later the team travels to Franklin, Tennessee, to compete in The Grove Intercollegiate, hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. The competition is a three-day event that runs from September 18-20. The Grove Club, is an 18-hole Greg Norman signature course and has a distance of 7,368 yards over its par-72 layout. Early entrants into the event include Cincinnati, Georgia, Louisville, Ole Miss, NC State, Wisconsin, Kennesaw State, Louisiana, Troy, Elon, and McNeese State.
The following week the Tigers host their lone home tournament of the season, the Memphis Invitational hosted at the Colonial Country Club, and the tournament runs for two days on September 26 and 27. Last season the course measured 7,304 yards and was a par-72. The Tigers are the defending champions of the tournament, carding a three-round score of 859 (five strokes under par), topping the field by three strokes.
From October 10-11, the squad travels to Bridgeport, West Virginia, to compete in The Mountaineer Intercollegiate, hosted at the Pete Dye Golf Club. The 2016 tournament will be the second year of the tournament, played on a 7,308 yard par-72 course. Among the teams that attended last season includes Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Mississippi State, Missouri, Penn State, Seton Hall, St. John's, Toledo, Towson, UConn, and West Virginia.
The Tigers travel south to Vero Beach, Florida for an October 24-25 tournament at the Quail Valley Collegiate. The Quail Valley Golf Course is a par-72, 7,325-yard course that saw Memphis take fifth in the field at seven stokes under par, as North Texas and Michigan State tied for the team victory. The teams that competed last season in the event included the two tied for the team lead, N.C. State, Mississippi State, Indiana, West Virginia, UConn, North Florida, McNeese State, Jacksonville, Stephen F. Austin, Rice, Louisiana Tech, and South Dakota State.
The fall season is capped off at the three-day Kiawah Classic in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The tournament, hosted by Charleston Southern, is played at Turtle Point Golf Club, a par 72, 7,100-yard course. Last season host Charleston Southern took home the team title, as the field also included Virginia, Duke, August, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and many others among the 22-team field.
The team's spring schedule remains largely the same, with the team competing in events they took part in at some point over the last two seasons.
"The spring schedule did not see much change because we liked how things fell timing-wise last year, and the venues are all very enjoyable," said Smart. "The spring is once again highlighted by the Valspar Collegiate Invitational at the Floridian National Golf Club. The Valspar was the strongest regular season field in college golf last year and we can't wait to go back for our third time."
The fall season kicks off on March 6-7 at the Colleton River Collegiate. The event hosted at the Colleton River Plantation Course, saw the Tigers take second place on the par-72, 7,297-yard course. Memphis's +29 aggregate score was two strokes behind champion Charleston, and two strokes ahead of Michigan State. Recent Tiger graduate Thomas Perrot was the individual medalist at the event, as he finished one stroke over par for the tournament, which included Cincinnati, UConn, Xavier, Bowling Green, Rutgers, and Toledo.
After a week break, the team travels back to Florida to compete in the Valspar Collegiate. The event, played on the Floridian National Golf Club, was a par-71, 6,999-yard event, and featured many nationally ranked teams including Texas, LSU, Texas A/&M, Oklahoma State, Illinois, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson, as every team in the field was in the top-48 in the country at the time of the event.
The following weekend the squad travels to West Point, Mississippi, to compete in the Fifth Annual Old Waverly Collegiate, an event the Tigers last competed in during the 2014-15 season, and the Tigers finished sixth at the event. Mississippi State serves at the host of the tournament, hosted at the Old Waverly Golf Club, a par-72 course.
On April 14 and 15 the team travels to Ardmore, Oklahoma for the second straight season to compete in The Maxwell Intercollegiate. The event, which is held at Dornick Hills Golf Club and is a par-70 over 6,586 yards of course, was canceled after two rounds this past season because of weather. In the event, the Tigers took fifth overall, with Lars van Meijel taking second place in the field. Among the other teams in the strong field included Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Houston, and Augusta.
The regular season closes on April 22-25 for the American Athletic Conference Championships, hosted in Palm Harbor, Florida, at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook. A season ago, Memphis took second in the field at the championships, with Perrot finishing as the tournament runner-up, a stroke away from medalist honors.
Players Mentioned
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