Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's golf set to tee off 2015-16 season
09/10/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Golf
What: 2015 D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate
Where: Weibring Golf Club, Normal, Ill.
When: Sunday, Sept. 14 and Monday, Sept. 15
Course par/yardage: 71/ 6,915 yards
Competing teams (17): Bradley, Butler, Central Arkansas, Detroit Mercy, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oakland, Southern Illinois, SIUE, Texas Rio Grande Valley, Western Illinois
By Tony McDaniel
SIUSalukis.com
Normal, Ill.-- The SIU men's golf team will tee off the season this weekend in a tournament that should be a great measuring stick for the upcoming season.
The Salukis will travel to Illinois State for the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate in Normal, Ill. The tournament begins Sunday and concludes on Monday. The annual tournament has become a staple for the Salukis; the team has travelled to Illinois State every year since 2007. Last year the Salukis finished third out of 15 teams.
"We are looking forward to getting out and competing in our first event of the year," coach Justin Fetcho said. "The team has been working very hard and is ready for the opportunity to tee it up against some good competition this weekend."
Fetcho selected senior Ryan Haxel, two Juniors, Matt Greenfield and Brandon Carlson, sophomore Charles Hawn and freshman Peyton Wilhoit as his travel team for this weekend.
"Three of our five players traveling this weekend have seen the golf course before, so their familiarity with the course will be a big plus," Fetcho said. "With three new faces in the lineup this week, I guarantee we will learn a lot about ourselves as a team."
Greenfield and Carlson both transferred to SIU during the offseason following successful careers at the junior college level. Carlson played for Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., the No. 8 golf program at the NJCAA D-II level. Carlson was ranked No. 13 among individual players last season. Greenfield played at Rend Lake Community College and earned NJCAA Division II Ping First Team All-American honors. Wilhoit is a true freshman and will play in his first collegiate tournament. The Searcy, Ark., native is a three-time state champion and a three-time member of the Arkansas All-State team.
Hawn and Haxel played in four and five tournaments respectively for the Salukis during the 2014-15 campaign. Both players' best finishes last season came at the UT-Martin Skyhawk Fall Classic when the two finished tied for 19th.
"We have been qualifying for this event for the last few weeks," Fetcho said. "We have seen each one of these five guys be the low scorer for the team in one round or another, which shows the depth of this year's roster."
One of the biggest draws to this weekend's tournament could be that the Salukis will be able to test themselves against Missouri Valley competition. Drake, Illinois State, Bradley, Evansville, Northern Iowa and Missouri State will all be at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate. Big Ten foe Nebraska as well as in-state rivals Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and SIUE will make the trip to Normal.
The Weibring Golf Club sits just off the Illinois State campus and is the home to the Redbirds' men's and women's golf team. The 6,915 yard, par-71 course is also home to the Illinois High School Association Boy's State Final. Weibring Golf Club was renovated in 2000 when all of the course's bunkers and greens were rebuilt.
"Our goals for this year are very high and we are looking forward to starting the season off on a high note," Fetcho said.
Players Mentioned
