Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Golfweek Conference Challenge
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Men's golf starts season at Golfweek Conference Challenge
8/29/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee men's golf team will open the 2009 fall season at the inaugural Golfweek Conference Challenge on Sunday, Aug. 30. The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will be played at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa, and will include 15 teams from 15 different conferences. Eleven of the 15 teams in the field played in the postseason a year ago.
The Blue Raiders earned the special invitation after winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament last April. Others in the field will be Florida State (ACC), Xavier (Atlantic 10), Baylor (Big 12), South Florida (Big East), Coastal Carolina (Big South), Iowa (Big Ten), Memphis (Conference USA), VCU (CAA), Illinois State (Missouri Valley), California (Pac-10), Vanderbilt (SEC), Georgia Southern (Southern), Texas-Arlington (Southland), and New Mexico State (WAC).
"We are excited to open the season at such a prestigious tournament," said Head Coach Whit Turnbow, a two-time SBC Coach of the Year. "We enjoy competing against the best teams in the country and are very proud to be representing our University and the Sun Belt Conference at this event."
The Blue Raiders are coming off back-to-back NCAA appearances for the first time in school history and return three of their top five golfers from a year ago.
Standout Craig Smith, Jason Millard, and Kent Bulle all return to the rotation in 2009-10. Smith (Springfield, Tenn.), who is coming off his second U.S. Amateur appearance, is primed to get back to his form in 2007 when he earned SBC Player of the Year honors. After battling a back injury, Smith appears ready for a big year as the team's No. 1 player.
Millard, a hometown product from Riverdale High School, earned All-SBC honors last spring after leading Middle Tennessee in stroke average with a 72.7 and was 20th out of 75 golfers at the NCAA regional.
Bulle, a senior from Glasgow, Ky., won all three matches at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship to help lead Middle Tennessee to the team championship last year. Bulle, who fired six sub-par rounds in the spring, was the SBC Golfer of the Month last February.
The newest members to Turnbow's top five are sophomores Brad Simons and Hunter Green. Simons, a freshman last year that was considered the top prospect coming out of Arkansas, saw action in four tournaments with his top finish being 13th at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate.
Green, out of Evansville, Tenn., played in just two tournaments a year ago and both were in the fall.
"I really like this team," added Turnbow. "We have a good mix of experience and guys who are coming off great summers. We are looking forward to the challenges this season and hope to build on our recent success."
