April 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Starting Sunday, 11 teams will compete for the 2009 Conference USA Men's Golf Championship when UCF and the Central Florida Sports Commission host the event at the RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento. The winner of the three-day, three-round event will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
The Knights enter the event ranked 19th nationally according to Golfweek. In addition to UCF, the tournament will feature four of the top-100 programs in the country - Tulsa (60), UAB (74), SMU (82) and East Carolina (91).
In 2008-09, UCF has recorded seven top-10 finishes, including a pair of tournament titles. Head coach Nick Clinard's squad has been led by freshman Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.). The rookie has posted six top-10 showings, including five in a row.
Senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla.), junior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland), sophomore Jed Dirksen (Hampton, Iowa) and redshirt freshman Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.) will also be in action for the Knights.
In 2008, UAB claimed the league tournament title with a victory in Texarkana, Ark. The event will mark UCF's first time hosting the C-USA Championship. The Knights and the Central Florida Sports Commission are also scheduled to host the NCAA Regionals in May at RedTail.
Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day. Admission to the tournament is free. For directions to the RedTail Golf Club, visit RedTailClub.com
Live statistics will also be available on Golfstat.com.
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.