Oct. 24, 2009
By Andrea Ciotti
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Fifteen of the nation's best men's golf teams including UCF will tee-off this weekend at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in nearby Windermere. The three-day invitational, often regarded as the premier golf tournament in the country, will be hosted by Texas Tech.
The Knights will begin this three-day, 54-hole tournament on Sunday at the Isleworth Golf and Country Club. Home to world-class athletes such as Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara, and designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, and later redesigned by and enhanced by Steve Smyers, Isleworth consistently ranks as one of the longest and most difficult courses in the state.
Seven of the 15 teams are ranked among the top-10 squads in the country. According to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, Oklahoma State is ranked as the top team in the country. Other top-10 participants include Arizona State (2), Illinois (3), Washington (4), TCU (5), Stanford (6) and Florida (10).
Joining the top-10 are Alabama (15), host Texas Tech (22), Clemson (23), Georgia (24), East Tennessee State (54), UCF (72) and Kentucky (116). Georgia has won the tournament for the past two years.
Teeing off for the Knights are senior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland), junior Nuno Henriques (Funchal, Protugal), and sophomore Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.). This will be the Knights first contest since the Prestige at PGA WEST on Oct. 13, where Henriques tied for 14th. As a result of his performance he earned Conference USA Player of the Week Honors. Sophomore Connor Arendell (Cape Coral, Fla.) and freshman Reid Martin (Mukilteo, Wash.) will also compete for the Knights. Martin will be making his college debut.
The Knights have played in this event since its inception in 2004.
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.