April 10, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State men's golf team looks to the Red Wolf Classic in Jonesboro, Ark., Monday and Tuesday, to gain momentum as the Redbirds gear up for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The two-day, three-round tournament will be held at the par-72, 6,565-yard Ridge Point Country Club.
Coming off a disappointing finish at the First Tee Collegiate Classic last week, head coach Ray Kralis is expecting positive results in Jonesboro.
"There is a fine line between great golf and mediocre golf, so I don't feel like we have a huge gap to close to play to our potential," Kralis said. "Each tournament offers a fresh start, and we have the talent to break through at any time. It is fair to say we are overdue, but I am encouraged by the play during our preparation leading into this one and am expecting good things to happen."
The Redbird lineup was rearranged for the Red Wolf Classic, as sophomore Matt Hageman will compete as an individual in his first road tournament, with fellow sophomores Parker Freiburg and Ricky Hearden joining him on the links. Jeff Kellen, Eric Meier and Wils Hawn return to the Redbird lineup for the two-day tournament.
Of the Redbird lineup, Kellen is the only member returning to the Red Wolf Classic. He finished the 2010 classic in 26th place after tallying a 223 (74-73-76). ISU finished in fifth place and shot a three-round total of 880 (293-291-296).
The tournament field includes Arkansas State, UALR, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Monroe, Meridian Community College, UMKC, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Oral Roberts, Southern Illinois, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, UT Martin, UT Pan American and Illinois State.
The first round of competition begins Monday with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. The second round will follow immediately after. The final round will begin Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.
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