Oct. 25, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Eighteen of the best men's golf teams in the country will compete in the nation's premier college tournament when play begins at the fifth-annual Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational on Sunday morning . The three-day, three-round tournament at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere includes eight of the top-10 squads in the country.
In total, 13 of the 18 teams in this year's event are ranked in the top-30 nationally, including the host Knights (30). According to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, Oklahoma State is the top team in the country. Tournament participants Southern Cal (3), Georgia (4), Illinois (5), Stanford (6), South Carolina (8), Texas (9) and Alabama (10) join the Cowboys in the top 10.
Clemson (12), Georgia Tech (17), Indiana (20), LSU (28), Texas Tech (36), Kentucky (51), UCLA (57), Charlotte (65) and Arizona (70) will also be in action at the event. UCLA claimed the NCAA Championship in 2008.
Seven squads in the field finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championship. Indiana's Jorge Campillo (T2), Stanford's Sihwan Kim (T4), Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler (T4) and Trent Whitekiller (T7), Georgia's Hudson Swafford (T9) and Southern Cal's Trent Sluiter (T9) will all be participating in the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational after placing in the top 10 at the NCAA event last spring.
In 2007, Georgia claimed the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational crown, posting a tournament record 841 (-23). The Bulldogs' Harris English won the individual title. He carded an 11-under 205, which was also a tournament record. English will be in Georgia's lineup this season.
Seniors Greg Forest (Palm City, Fla.) and David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla.), junior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland), redshirt freshman Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.) and freshman Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.) will be in the lineup for the Knights. Johnson tied for 16th at the event a year ago after posting a 216 (+2).
The tournament is not open to the public, but live statistics will be available at golfstat.com. For more information on the tournament, visit isleworthcollegiate.com.
Play will begin at 8 a.m. each day.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational Teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index
1 Oklahoma State
3 Southern Cal
4 Georgia
5 Illinois
6 Stanford
8 South Carolina
9 Texas
10 Alabama
12 Clemson
17 Georgia Tech
20 Indiana
28 LSU
30 UCF
36 Texas Tech
51 Kentucky
57 UCLA
65 Charlotte
70 Arizona