May 12, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Yesterday, the high temperature in Orlando was listed at 93 degrees. When the 25th-ranked UCF men's golf team arrives in Bremerton, Wash., Monday to prepare for the NCAA West Regional, a very different climate will greet the Knights.
The forecast for Bremerton calls for highs in the upper 50s.
Head coach Nick Clinard's Knights will open the regional on Thursday. Play at the three-round event will conclude on Saturday.
UCF is one of 27 squads that will play at the Gold Mountain Golf Club. Despite the climate change, the Knights are excited about participating in the tournament.
"It is going to be half the temperature that it is in Orlando today. It could be rainy weather," Clinard said. "The grass is totally different than what we are used to. (But) the guys are looking forward to going out there. They are looking forward to seeing what it is like."
To get acclimated to the region, Clinard's team plans to play at area courses on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the squad will have a practice round at the Gold Mountain Golf Club.
"We will be able to get used to the grass, get used to the weather and get used to the time change," he said.
The Knights are not totally unfamiliar with playing in cold conditions. In mid-April, UCF claimed the UK Bluegrass Invitational in Lexington, Ky. The tournament was played with the temperature hovering around 40 degrees.
Clinard feels that the experience playing in the cold - and the conditions associated with it - should help the Knights.
"It shows your toughness to play in that kind of weather. Getting on that type of grass was the main reason that we went to that tournament. We are going to see that this week."
To prepare the Knights for the cold, UCF's equipment staff supplied the team with hats and gloves.
Senior Giwon Suh (Orlando, Fla./Olympia), juniors Greg Forest (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) and David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne), sophomore Mike Stern (Miami, Fla./Killian) and freshman Kyle Cobb (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) will be participating in the regional for the Knights.
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