By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With second place finishes in each of its last two tries at the Grover Page Classic, the Tennessee Tech men's golf team heads back to familiar ground at the Jackson Country Club Monday and Tuesday looking to capture its first title in the 12-team, 54-hole tournament hosted by UT Martin.
Coach Polk Brown's squad has finished high in the tournament in five of the six years that the tournament has been held.
GROVER PAGE CLASSIC: The tournament will feature a 12-team field competing Monday, March 14, and Tuesday, March 15, at the Jackson (Tenn.) Country Club. The par 72 course will be set up to play at 6,776, and will host 36 holes Monday and the final 18 Tuesday. Monday's opening round will tee off with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., with the second round later in the afternoon. The third and final round begins with a shotgun start Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. For more information on the course, visit this link: http://www.jacksoncclub.com/web/pages/golf-course
GOLDEN EAGLE LINEUP: Competing for the Golden Eagles will be senior Mitch Thomas, freshman Matthew Giles, senior Bryce Kendrick, senior Neil Gannaway, and redshirt freshman Ben Huskey. The Golden Eagles will also have two players competing as individuals in sophomore A.J. Wilkerson and freshman Alexander Riddle.
THE COMPETITION: The 12-team field will include Arkansas State, Jackson State, John A. Logan, Murray State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, Samford, Southern Illinois, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Union, and host UT Martin.
LAST YEAR AT GROVER PAGE: The Golden Eagles finished second overall at last year's Grover Page Classic, with five of the players slated for this year's tourney in the lineup. Kendrick tied for eighth place (74-69—143), Riddle was 13th (71-74—145) as an individual, Thomas placed 28th (75-74—149), Wilkerson (80-76—156) placed 54th, also playing as an individual, and Gannaway (82-76—158) finished 61st.
A REGULAR EVENT: Tech has played in the Grover Page Classic every year since the tournament's inception in 2010, and the Golden Eagles have had high finishes in five of the six years. While Tech has never claimed the team championship, the Golden Eagles finished second each of the last two years. Tech has also placed third twice (2012 and 2011), and fourth in 2010. The lowest finish was seventh in the 2013 tournament. Tech's highest individual finish came in 2011 when Tyler Cassetty placed second overall.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH BROWN: "We have had a great run of finishes in Jackson and we look to continue this trend come Monday. The course sets up exceptionally well for us, and the guys have had a lot of success there. We look forward to the opportunity to build some momentum as we continue the semester.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Golden Eagles are coming off an 11th place showing last week in the Bash at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in which Gannaway earned a ninth place individual finish after leading the entire field through the first round with a career-best, three-under par 68. Tech was forced to play the final two rounds with just four players on the course, as Wilkerson withdrew due to an injury.
WEATHER FORECAST: Monday's forecast calls for a high of 75 and a low of 54, with winds at 11 mph and a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday's forecast calls for a high of 81, a low of 58, and 12 mph winds with sunny conditions and a 10 percent chance of precipitation.
