Memphis Golf Announces 2015-16 Schedule

2015-16 Memphis Men's Golf Schedule

A challenging year begins on familiar ground for Memphis Golf as the Tigers open the 2015-16 season with the Memphis Invitational played at Colonial Country Club. The home tournament will be played Sept. 21 and 22 and marks the beginning of a nine-tournament schedule for the Tigers.

"I am excited about our schedule this year and the opportunity to compete against great competition at great venues," said Blake Smart, who begins his second season as the Tigers' coach. "We have a lot of variety throughout the year, both in quality of field and type of golf courses. I feel it is important to see a lot of different things so as to be prepared for post-season, and the random draw of six NCAA Regional Sites."

Memphis will play four events in the fall including three straight weeks during the month of October.

The Tigers play at the WKU Kenny Perry Invitational (Oct. 12-13 in Bowling Green, Ky.), the Pinetree Intercollegiate (Oct. 19-20 in Kennesaw, Ga.) and the Quail Valley Collegiate (Oct. 26-27 in Vero Beach, Fla.).

"I am looking for us to get off to a quick start this fall, and hopefully have multiple opportunities to compete for team championships," Smart said. "All of our fall courses are excellent venues, with the highlight coming at The Golf Club at Olde Stone in October. It is a difficult course that should be in immaculate condition, and it provides us with different turf types."

The five-event spring season begins with the Colleton River Collegiate in Bluffton, S.C., March 7-8.

Ahead of the American Athletic Conference Championship, the Tigers will continue to tackle a challenging spring schedule in late March and through the month of April.

Besides its home tournament, the Tigers' only other repeat from last year's schedule is the Valspar Collegiate Invitational played at the Floridian National Golf Club in Stuart, Fla., March 21-22. Last year's field included the nation's top-two teams and three others which ranked in Golfstat.com's Top 25 at the time, including eventual national champion LSU.

Ahead of the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship, Memphis will play at the Vanderbilt Mason Rudolph Championship April 2-3, held on the South Course at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., and The Maxwell Intercollegiate played at Dornick Hills Golf and Country Club in Ardmore, Okla., April 16-17.

"The Spring is centered around the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and The Maxwell Intercollegiate," Smart said. "The Valspar is, in my opinion, the best event in college golf, from the venue and field, to the food and hospitality, it is a special week for the boys.

"The Maxwell Intercollegiate is the rebirth of an old event that is at a venue I know very well from my days at the University of Oklahoma. The inaugural event features a great field and I know we will be very well taken care of by the tournament committee."

This year's Maxwell field is highlighted by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, Baylor, Houston and New Mexico.

The American Athletic Conference Championship returns to the Quarry Course at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Fla., May 1-3.

Memphis had a pair of runner-up finishes last year in Smart's first season. The Tigers return the nucleus of last year's squad and have also added a group of solid newcomers.

"Ultimately, everything we do is about preparing for the AAC Championship and beyond," Smart said. "It is a long year and there are always ups and downs, but this schedule sets up well for us to be ready for a great push this season."

University of Memphis Athletics

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