Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Golf Heads to MVC Championship
04/25/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Golf
April 25, 2004
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University men's golf team is picked to finish fourth heading into the 2004 Missouri Valley Men's Golf Championship on Apr. 26-27 at TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. The two-day event will open with 36 holes Monday, before concluding with a round of 18 holes Tuesday.
Wichita State has been picked to repeat as MVC champs by a unanimous vote of league coaches. The Shockers, winners of four of the past five league tournaments, received nine of nine first-place votes to win the league title.
In addition to its team dominance of late, a WSU student-athlete has won medalist honors in three of the last four years, including Ty Cline a year ago.
Rounding out this year's poll behind WSU (81 pts.) are host tournament-host Illinois State (64 pts.), Drake (61 pts.), SIU (55 pts.), SMS (52 pts.), Northern Iowa (31 pts.), Bradley (26 pts.), Evansville (24 pts.) and Creighton (11 pts.).
The Salukis, who are having one of their best seasons in school history, look to improve on their disappointing seventh-place finish at the league championship a year ago.
Junior transfer Brian Norman, who ranks second on the Valley leaderboard with a 72.458 stroke average tops SIU with 21 rounds in the 70s and three rounds in the 60s this season. A native of Henderson, Ky., Norman has won medalist honors in two tournaments this year. Most recently, Norman finished first to lead SIU to its third team title at the Billiken Invitational on Apr. 12-13. In addition, he was named MVC Men's Golfer of the Week on Sept. 10 and Oct. 1.
Freshman Kyle Hosick is also having an impressive year for the Dawgs. Hosick, who hails from Carmi, Ill., ranks fourth in the MVC with a 72.963 average and has registered three top-five individual finishes in five tournaments this spring. He, too, was named MVC Men's Golfer of the Week on two occasions (Oct. 8 and Mar. 17).
Gibson City, Ill., native, Grant Goltz rounds out SIU's leading trio of golfers entering the MVC Championship. Goltz boasts a 75.6 stroke average with a second-best 23 rounds in the 70s. A team-captain, he was also named MVC Men's Golfer of the Week on Feb. 25.
As a team, SIU has collected nine top-five finishes in 10 tournaments this season. The Salukis clinched tournament crowns at the Steve Harris Invitational (Sept. 8-9), Blue Demon Invitational (Sept. 29-30) and Billiken Invitational (Apr. 12-13).
TPC at Deere Run plays 6,813 yards with a par of 71.
