Aug. 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Under new head coach Bryce Wallor, the UCF men's golf team will continue to face one of the toughest schedules in the country. Wallor announced his squad's 2009-10 slate Tuesday and the Knights are scheduled to compete in some of the nation's premier events.
UCF will participate in four tournaments in the fall and five during the spring. Five of the team's events are in Florida. The Knights will also travel to California, Indiana, Mississippi and Rhode Island.
"I am very happy with the schedule. I like the travel," Wallor said. "I like getting on the different types of grass that we are going to utilize during the championship season. I think it is a quality schedule all around and will fit our needs."
The Knights, who claimed the Conference USA Championship and finished 10th in the country last season, will open the year on Sept. 12 at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Ind. After competing at the Adam's Cup of Newport Collegiate Invitational in Middletown, R.I. (Sept. 21-22), UCF will head to La Quinta, Calif., for The Prestige at PGA West. The field in California features some of the best squads in the country in Southern California, Stanford and UCLA. The tournament begins Oct. 11.
After the event in the Golden State, the Knights will conclude the fall by participating in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in nearby Windermere from Oct. 25-27. The impressive field at Isleworth includes Arizona State, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma State and Stanford.
Wallor is no stranger to Isleworth. As an assistant at Tennessee in 2006, he helped the Volunteers place eighth out of 18 teams at the tournament.
"It was a fantastic event," he said of Isleworth. "It is very well run."
For the second-straight year, UCF will begin the spring at the Gator Invitational (Feb. 13-14) in Gainesville. More than a month later, the Knights will return to action by hosting the Rio Pinar Invitational in Orlando. The two-day event begins March 15. UCF claimed the tournament title a year ago.
After a trip to the Reunion Intercollegiate (April 5-6) in Madison, Miss., UCF will defend its league title when the program hosts the C-USA Championship at the RedTail Golf Club in nearby Sorrento from April 25-27.
On May 6, the Knights will finish the regular season by playing in the Golden Ocala Invitational. Wallor believes that the spring schedule, which includes four tournaments in Florida, will help the Knights academically. Local tournaments equal less missed class time for team members.
The main goal of the tough schedule is to get the Knights ready for the postseason. NCAA Regional play begins May 20-22 at sites around the country, with the NCAA Championships set for Chattanooga, Tenn., in early June.
"Anytime that you compete you are going to get something out of it," Wallor said. "This program has competed with great teams on a national level before and did very well. I think that we will do well again."
Four letterwinners from a year ago are back for the Knights in 2009-10, including senior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland). Ward took medalist honors at the conference championship and was named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year. Sophomore Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.), an All-C-USA Second Team and all-rookie pick last season, also returns.
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.