No. 18/19 Kent State Spring Campaign Starts at Desert Intercollegiate In California
2/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Coming off one of the most successful fall seasons in school history, the No. 18/19 ranked Golden Flashes head to California to begin the spring portion of the 2011-12 schedule this weekend (Feb. 25-26). The Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate presented by Cleveland Golf has been rated as the fourth-toughest spring collegiate tournament of 2012 by Golf Digest.
One of only six schools in the nation to have at least five players ranked in the top 150 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, Kent State is joined by No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 USC, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 6 Georgia Tech on the prestigious list. The Golden Flashes will be facing their largest regular season field since the 1991-92 campaign with 24 teams scheduled for the event.
Format
The 54-hole event will be played at the Classic Club golf course, a Troon Golf property, in Palm Desert, Calif. The event will host 24 teams and feature four of GolfWeeks' top-25 squads, consisting of No. 2 Auburn, No. 12, UNLV, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 18 Kent State. Play begins with a shotgun start on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. PT. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 26 with one 18-hole round also beginning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. PT.
Golden Flashes Line-Up
Representing the Golden Flashes this week are senior Mackenzie Hughes, junior Kevin Miller, sophomores Taylor Pendrith, Kyle Kmiecik, Corey Conners.
The Course
The Classic Club Course is a 7,305-yard, par 72 layout and served as the host site of the PGA's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 2006, 2007 and 2008. www.classicclubgolf.com
The Field
The ranked teams in attendance at this season's tournament are set to be No. 2 Auburn, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 12 UNLV and No. 18 Kent State. Other participants in this year's event include: San Francisco, SMU, UTEP, Texas Tech, Denver, Southern Utah, Colorado, Cal Poly, Nebraska, Santa Clara, Hawaii, Iowa State, UC Riverside, Texas-Arlington, St. Mary's College, Houston, Baylor, Idaho and Arizona. (rankings by golfweek.com)
Kent State at the Desert Intercollegiate
This will be Kent State's first appearance in the event, now in its fourth season.
The Forcast
Saturday: Sunny skies. High 81F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Abundant sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Up Next
The Golden Flashes head to Louisiana for the Louisiana Classics at Oak Bourne Country Club March 5-6.
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Mackenzie HughesSeniorDundas, OntarioGolfweek/Sagarin ranking: 111 2011-12 Stroke Average: 73.8 Lowest round in 2011-12: 70 Gopher Invitational (3rd round) Lowest tournament round in 2011-12: Gopher Invitational (74-73-70=217) Notes: Had two top 10 finishes in five events this season • Took third at the Gopher Invitational to start the year and tied for 7th at the Inverness Intercollegiate • Won the 2011 Canadian Men's Amateur Championship • Qualified for match-play at the 2011 U.S. Amateur • Member of Team Canada's National Squad • Recognized by Golf Canada as the top male amateur golfer for 2011 |
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Kevin MillerJuniorDover, OhioGolfweek/Sagarin ranking: 81 2011-12 Stroke Average: 73.2 Lowest round in 2011-12: 69 U.S. Collegiate Championship (1st round) Lowest tournament round in 2011-12: Jack Nicklaus Invitational (73-72-74=219); Bank of Tennessee (76-73-70=219) Notes: Named the MAC Golfer of the Week (Oct. 26) • In a 14-team event that included 11 teams ranked in the top 30 by golfstat.com, Miller tied for 10th with a season low 2-under 214 (69-74-71) at the U.S. Collegiate • Has placed 13th or higher in each of the last four tournaments • Birdied four of his last at holes to finish tied for 10th at the Bank of Tennessee • Finished a team best T12 at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational that included 10 of the top 55 schools in the nation • Was a First Team All-MAC selection in 2011 • Advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship this past summer |
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Taylor PendrithSophomoreRichmond Hill, OntarioGolfweek/Sagarin ranking: 72 2011-12 Stroke Average: 73.5 Lowest round in 2011-12: 69 Jack Nicklaus Invitational (2nd Round) Lowest tournament round in 2011-12: Bank of Tennessee (76-72-71=219) Notes: Finished in the top 20 in four of the five events this season • Finished runner-up at the Inverness Intercollegiate with a one-under 70 • Tied for 18th at the Gopher Invitational to start the year • Shot a non-competitive course record 62 at Windmill Lakes in a team qualifer on Sept. 4 |
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Kyle KmiecikSophomoreAvon, OhioGolfweek/Sagarin ranking: 130 2011-12 Stroke Average: 74.1 Lowest round in 2011-12: 67 Bank of Tennessee (3rd Round) Lowest tournament round in 2011-12: Bank of Tennessee (76-76-67=219) Notes: Transfered to Kent State from Ole Miss • Fired a team season low and a field best 67 in the final round of the Bank of Tennessee to finish tied for 10th • Shot a 72 and finished tied for seventh at the Inverness Intercollegiate in first round with the Golden Flashes this season • In High School he had top 10 finishes in the Ohio State Championship in 2007, 2008 and 2009 • Ranked the No.1 player in Ohio for 2010 |
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Corey ConnersSophomoreListowel, OntarioGolfweek/Sagarin ranking: 129 2011-12 Stroke Average: 73.1 Lowest round in 2011-12: 70 Bank of Tennessee (3rd round) Lowest tournament round in 2011-12: Bank of Tennessee (75-71-70=216) Notes: Named the MAC Golfer of the Week (Oct. 19) after he finished tied for third at the Bank of Tennessee (75-71-70=216) • Was in the Kent State line-up at the Inverness Intercollegiate shooting a 74 • Particpiated in 10 events last season averaging 75.57 strokes per round • Shot a final round 75 and had two counters in three rounds for the team at the 2011 NCAA Championship |
