April 27, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Last week, the UCF men's golf team claimed its first Conference USA Championship title. The 20th-ranked Knights earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which will begin May 14.
On May 4, the team will learn its regional fate. After hosting the C-USA Championship along with the Central Florida Sports Commission at the RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento, UCF will also serve as a regional host at the course.
UCF junior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) won medalist honors at the C-USA Championship, edging freshman Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.) by one shot. Ward, Barber and the rest of the Knights are completing final exams this week.
UCF head coach Nick Clinard recently spoke with the UCF athletics communications staff about his squad and the Knights' preparation for the regionals.
What is the team's schedule leading up to the NCAA Regionals?
They will be finishing up school and taking care of their finals. Then they will be continuing to take a little time off, which they have already been doing. Then we will get back into practicing and getting ready for regionals.
How will winning the C-USA title help the squad's confidence heading into the NCAA Regionals?
I think that is huge. It is something that you cannot put a (price) on. It is important. Anytime you can have confidence when you are playing at that level, it is a good thing.
How pleased have you been with the team's consistency this season?
Four guys have played very well, pretty much the whole year. We are still kind of looking for that fifth guy who can really contribute and really put together a solid tournament. We have some depth. It is just a matter of finding that right guy.
How impressive has Blayne Barber's play been this entire season?
It has been pretty impressive. He was a great junior player. But coming and doing what he has done, especially in the spring and at the end of last fall, is impressive. I think a lot of it has to do with the senior leadership we have with David (Johnson) and Simon being an older, more-experienced player. Their work ethic is great. Blayne sees them working so hard and sees that they have goals and priorities. I think he falls right in line with that.
Simon led the team at the C-USA Championship. How has his play improved this year?
He can play. I have always said that Simon can be as good as Simon wants to be. He has a great short game and his golf swing has improved dramatically since August. He has aspirations to play in the Walker Cup this fall and he is well on his way.
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