May 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On Saturday, the UCF men's golf team claimed the title at the NCAA Regional in nearby Sorrento, topping three second-place teams by 11 shots. This Friday, Knights will leave Orlando for the NCAA Championship, which will be held in Toledo, Ohio.
Head coach Nick Clinard's golfers will certainly be spending a great deal of time on the course before the championship begins May 26. This week, four Knights who helped the team take the title at the RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento are competing in U.S. Open qualifiers in Florida.
Freshman Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.), the 2008-09 Conference USA Golfer and Freshman of the Year, is participating in the qualifier in Amelia Island. Barber carded a school-record 9-under 62 in the final round of the regional to place second.
Redshirt freshman Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.), who finished second at the regional, is also participating in a qualifying event, as is senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla.) and junior Devin Spies (Sarasota, Fla.).
Junior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) will join the four Floridians in the UCF lineup next week. Ward was tabbed as the C-USA Newcomer of the Year.
The NCAA Championship includes three rounds of stroke play. The top eight teams in stroke play advance to match play, which will conclude on May 30.
UCF will be making its fourth appearance in the championship, but its first since 1992.
Once arriving in the Midwest, the Knights will remain busy. Clinard plans to have his team play at the Wolf Run Golf Club in Zionsville, Ind., Saturday and the Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., the following day.
The practice round in Toledo is set for Monday. The tournament is being held at the Inverness Club, a historic course that has hosted several U.S. Open events and PGA Championships.
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.