Sept. 14, 2012
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -
The Illinois State men's golf team will be back on the course in Fort Collins, Colo., competing in the first-annual Ram Masters Invitational at the Fort Collins Country Club Monday and Tuesday.
The Fort Collins Country Club is an 18-hole, par 70, 7,121 yard layout that will host 15 teams. The Redbirds will compete against Missouri Valley Conference rivals Drake, Northern Iowa and Wichita State, along with Air Force, Boise State, Denver, DePaul, Mercer, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, Weber State, Wyoming and host Colorado State.
After coming of a strong finish at the Fairway Club Invitational, finishing second, the Redbirds look to keep the momentum heading into this week's match.
"I expect us to demonstrate the same level of mental toughness and get stronger as the season progresses," head coach Ray Kralis said. "We have enough talent to deal with adversity over the 54 holes and enough experience to know we will face at least some and probably more than we imagined. There is no place that we would rather be, and we are excited about the opportunity to compete and learn more about ourselves."
Senior Ricky Hearden will compete in the No. 1 spot for the Redbirds. Hearden, who finished first at the Fairway Club Invitational and was also named the Valley Golfer of the Week, will look to keep the tempo high for the team.
Competing in the No. 2 spot for the Redbirds will be junior Wils Hawn. Hawn is also coming off a strong finish at the Fairway Club Invitational, finishing in a tie for fourth.
Freshmen Tyler Pope-Ferguson and Tyler Gentilella will compete in the No. 3 and 4 spot, respectively. With one collegiate match under their belts, they look to have a strong impact during the tournament.
Rounding out the Redbirds line-up is senior Matt Solis, who finished out the 2011-12 season with a season-stroke average of 75.8. Solis will be making his season debut as he looks to contribute to the Redbirds line-up.
Play will begin Monday with 36-holes, followed by the final 18-holes Tuesday. Shotgun for both days will be at 8:00 a.m.
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