The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Men's Golf Opens 2015 at The Invitational
9/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's golf team opens its 2015 fall slate this weekend at The Invitational at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.
"We're excited to get the season underway," head coach Alan Murray said. "We're opening up at a really great golf course and it will be a stern test for our guys, but I think these kind of events help us when it comes to postseason play and having experience on demanding layouts."
The 54-hole event will begin Friday at 8 a.m. ET/7 a.m. CT from The Ocean Course. Teams will play continuous through 36 holes Friday, before closing the tournament Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. ET/7 a.m. CT.
The field features 10 teams, including five that competed in NCAA Regionals in the 2014-15 season. Those teams include Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Troy, NC State, who received votes in the Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll, along with UAB. Also competing will be Francis Marion, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Akron and Lamar.
UAB's lineup for the season-opening tournament includes senior Martin Rohwer, sophomore Lee Hodges, senior Will Cannon, sophomore Taylor Eyster, and freshmen John Hayden and Tim Harry. Murray Naysmith, also a newcomer, will compete as an individual. The Invitational format allows each team to play six golfers with four scores counting each round.
UAB advanced to the NCAA Championships for the sixth time last season, marking the first back-to-back appearances in school history. The Blazers won their first-ever regional this past May, claiming the NCAA Bremerton Regional title.
UAB finished off last season with momentum, winning three of its last five tournaments and a second-place finish in another.
Rohwer, Hodges, Cannon and Eyster all return for the 2015-16 season with NCAA Championship experience and All-Conference USA accolades. Cannon earned second-team honors, Eyster was an all-freshman team honoree, Rohwer landed a spot on the first team, and Hodges was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year.
The Blazers last competed in The Invitational in the 2012 season, finishing sixth behind Rohwer's 13th-place result as a freshman. UAB's best finish in the event came in the 2011 season when the Green and Gold placed second behind Sam Love's individual title.
As a team UAB will tee-off with the College of Charleston and NC State Friday. Naysmith will go off with individuals from the College of Charleston and Kentucky.
"We have Martin (Rohwer) and Will (Cannon) here that played here a couple of years ago and we have three freshmen playing in their first college event (Naysmith as an individual). We expect the wind to blow and the course demands respect from a golfer. Patience and plenty of quality shots are required to score well, so hopefully the boys are able to manage that."
Live scoring for the tournament will be available at GolfStat.com. Information on up-to-date statistics can be found here or in the links above.
For more information on the UAB men's golf team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MensGolf). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
