Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis start Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on Friday
02/17/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Golf
What? University of Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate presented by Cleveland Golf
Where?Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif.
Who? (21 teams) Wyoming, Nebraska, Gonzaga, Cal State Northridge, Kansas, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UT Arlington, Texas Tech, Denver, Arkansas-Little Rock, TCU, Southern Utah, San Francisco, Colorado, Cal Poly, Idaho, Old Dominion, Southern Illinois, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State
Course yardage/par 7,232 yards/ Par 72
Tony McDaniel
SIUSalukis.com
PALM DESERT, Calif.—Southern Illinois's men's golf team is back on the road this weekend at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif. The three-day tournament begins on Friday and ends Sunday.
This will be SIU's second event of the fall, and the Salukis will look to bounce back from a 15th place finish at the Arizona Intercollegiate on Jan. 31.
"I think we've been getting better in practice," coach Justin Fetcho said. "I think the guys have gained confidence. We've worked on some short-game stuff and ball striking. We've tried to work on the mental approach a little bit. Personally, I'm excited about the event and the direction things are headed. I think one through six, some guys are playing well and hitting it well."
Fetcho's team remains mostly unchanged from the last tournament. His five players for the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate will be Matt Greenfield, Brandon Carlson, Peyton Wilhoit and Luke Gannon. Charles Hawn will also play at the event, but as an individual. Gannon traveled with the team to the Arizona Intercollegiate, but played as an individual at a nearby tournament.
Of the teams at this weekend's tournament, Texas Tech, Kansas, Cal Poly, Idaho, TCU, Colorado and San Francisco are all in the top-100 of the Golfweek Men's Team Collegiate Rankings. This is the second-straight tournament that SIU has played in a field with a number of teams in the top-100 in the nation. The 21-team field will be the largest SIU will see all season.
The Wyoming Intercollegiate's course, the Classic Club, is a desert-based course that brings plenty of water hazards into play and is very similar to the Arizona Intercollegiate's course in that way. The 7,232 yard, par-72 course was designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 2006. From 2006-2008 the course played host to the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and was named as one of the Best Courses in America by a Zagat Survey.
No one on SIU's team has played the Classic Club before, but a virtual fly-by of each hole on the course's website has provided the players with an idea of how to approach each hole.
"From what I've seen, I think the course can set up well for us," Fetcho said. "It looks like it plays fairly long. I think you're going to have to drive the ball well and we've done that… If we can continue to do that, along with the other things, like being mentally strong, I think it's going to be a great week."
The Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate begins on Friday with the first round of play. The second round will be played on Saturday and the third on Sunday.
"It's time to go out and relax and have some fun and know that we've been putting our time in," Fetcho said. "Lets go get after it out there in California."
Players Mentioned
