Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Kicks Off Spring Golf Season Saturday
2/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Feb. 8, 2007
All the 23rd-ranked Wake Forest men's golf team has to do to win its first tournament of the spring season is outscore the nation's No. 1-ranked team on its home course. That's the challenge facing the Demon Deacons Saturday and Sunday when they join 13 other teams at the SunTtrust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
Top-ranked and tournament host Florida is not the only obstacle Wake Forest will face when it plays 36 holes Saturday and 18 holes Sunday at the par 70, 6,701-yard University of Florida Golf Course. Sixth-ranked Coastal Carolina, 17th-ranked Tulsa,18th-ranked Georgia State and 26th-ranked Purdue are among the teams competing this weekend. Florida State and Wake Forest will represent the ACC.
The Deacons return three of five starters from last year's team that won the NCAA East Regional and finished tied for third at the NCAA Championships.
Leading the way for Wake Forest is junior Webb Simpson, one of the nation's top amateur players. Simpson will see his first tournament action since breaking a bone in his hand last fall. Senior Sean Moore, a former ACC and North/South Amateur champion, will be the Deacs' veteran leader this spring.
Also representing Wake Forest this weekend is junior Chris McCartin, sophomore Dustin Groves and freshman Brendan Gielow. Groves, Gielow and McCartin all had at least one top-10 finish in the fall season.
"We have five guys capable of winning a college tournament," said head coach Jerry Haas, who is in his 10th year with the Deacons. "With that, I think the team stuff will take care of itself. In the fall, we had some great individual performances, but not at the same time."
Players Mentioned
