Aug. 28, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State senior golfers Tommy Bliefnick, Kyle Bragg and Joe Emerich will lead the Redbirds into Riverside, Iowa, to compete at the Golfweek Conference Challenge Sunday through Tuesday. The tournament will be held at the Blue Top Ridge Golf Club and features 15 teams from 15 different conferences. Tee times begin at 8 a.m. Sunday.
This is the first tournament of the fall season for the `Birds, who are coming off a runner-up finish at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Head coach Ray Kralis is excited about the opportunity to have his team play against a strong field.
"It's going to be a great tournament, one that we're really excited about," Kralis said. "The teams there are obliviously a great representation from across the country. There are some very strong golf schools, we're going to have to be ready to go coming right out of the gate."
Besides Bliefnick, Bragg and Emerich, redshirt junior Drew North and sophomore Eric Meier will also travel to Iowa to compete.
"It's going to be a special experience just to be a part of it," Kralis said. "We're going there to get off to a good start and I'm excited to see what the guys are ready to take on."
Participants for the 2009 Golfweek Conference Challenge include Florida State (ACC), Xavier (Atlantic 10), Baylor (Big 12), South Florida (Big East), Coastal Carolina (Big South), Iowa (Big Ten), Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial), Memphis (Conference USA), California (Pac-10), Vanderbilt (SEC), Georgia Southern (Southern), Texas-Arlington (Southland), Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt) and New Mexico St. (Western Athletic).
"Competition is going to be stiff," Kralis said. "These are schools with strong golf programs. If we can take care of ourselves then I think we can put up some scores that can compete with these guys and there is no doubt in my mind about that."
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