May 4, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The 17th-ranked UCF men's golf team learned Monday that it will be competing close to home next week as the Knights have received the No. 4 seed at the NCAA Southeast Regional at the RedTail Golf Club in nearby Sorrento. UCF and 13 other squads will begin play at the three-day, three-round event on May 14.
The Knights earned Conference USA's automatic bid to the regionals in April by winning the league title at RedTail. Along with the Central Florida Sports Commission, UCF is hosting the regional tournament.
"We are very excited about playing at RedTail again," UCF head coach Nick Clinard said. "Anytime that you have a chance to play close to home, it is a positive. This is a very impressive field and it will be a great challenge for our guys."
Other teams who will be in action at RedTail include No. 1 Georgia, No. 10 South Carolina, Arizona and Florida State.
The top-five teams at each of the six regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 26-30 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
During the 2008-09 campaign, Clinard's squad has won three events. UCF was ranked as high as No. 14 nationally in March.
On April 21, UCF claimed the C-USA Championship title at 18-under 846, six shots ahead of second-place SMU. Junior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) claimed medalist honors (205, -11) and was followed by freshman Blayne Barber (206, -10).
Last week, the Knights dominated C-USA's annual awards. Barber was named the league's golfer and freshman of the year, and Ward was tabbed as the newcomer of the year. Clinard was selected as the C-USA Coach of the Year.
Barber and Ward were also named to the All-C-USA Second Team. Senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla.) and redshirt freshman Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.) earned spots on the All-C-USA Second Team. Additionally, Barber and Schneider were all-conference rookie team selections.
NCAA Regional play is open to the public. Admission for spectators is $7 per day or $20 for the entire tournament.
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.
NCAA Southeast Regional Participants
1. Georgia
2. Indiana
3. South Carolina
4. UCF
5. Florida State
6. Arizona
7. Augusta State
8. Kentucky
9. Georgia Southern
10. Georgia State
11. Iowa
12. Charlotte
13. Campbell
14. Loyola (Md.)
Individuals
1. Zack Sucher, UAB
2. M. Etienne Bussierres, South Alabama
3. Josh Brock, UNC-Wilmington
4. Bill Jones III, Mercer
5. Kelly McHugh, Florida Atlantic