MACOMB, Ill. - With momentum and experience on its side Western Illinois men's golf will travel to The Summit League Championships in Primm, Nev. on April 23-24. Last season, the men finished sixth with an 891 (306, 291, 294) as Kurt Slattery led the way with a 221 (77, 71, 73) and tied for 14th.
A more balanced attacked will compliment Slattery this season as Andrew Godfrey, Ben Kilborn, Tim Harwood and Konrad Deka have collected rounds in the 60s this season.
Head Coach Mel Blasi is optimistic that this group of student-athletes can compete for a title and have the talent to make some noise at the championships.
The top three scorers for The Purple & Gold are playing their best golf of the season including Slattery who delivered a final round of 66 at the Detroit Titans Invitational last weekend to take home the individual title as the team collected a third-place finish. Kilborn also collected a career-best finish (9th) in Highland, Mich. with as he carded a 217 (70, 75, 72).
2012 Summit League Championships
Host - Southern Utah
Location - Primm, Nevada
Course - Primm Valley GC - Desert Course
Par - 71 (36-35)
Yardage - 7,062
Schedule
The tournament schedule calls for two rounds on Monday and
another on Tuesday. At stake is a berth in the regional round of the NCAA
tournament, which is given to the league champion.
Tournament Field
IPFW
IUPUI
UMKC
North Dakota State
Oakland
Oral Roberts
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Southern Utah
Western Illinois
Course Information (Courtesy of PrimmValleyGolf.com)
With a career that has spanned more than 35 years and included the
design of more than 120 courses, golf course architect Tom Fazio is a
living legend in the business. One of the most recognized and acclaimed
golf course architects in the world, he has created more courses ranked
among the top 100 in the U.S. than anyone else in the business. You’ll
find his name alongside some of the most distinctive and unique courses
in the world. And Primm Valley is no exception. Here, Tom has done the
impossible – he has created a pristine golf oasis in the heart of the
Mojave Desert.
Projected Western Illinois Lineup
No. 1 - Kurt Slattery, Sr.
No. 2 - Ben Kilborn, Jr.
No. 3 - Andrew Godfrey, Sr.
No. 4 -Tim Harwood, Sr.
No. 5 - Konrad Deka, Jr.
Scoring - Golfstat
| 2011 Men's Championship Results | |||||
| 1. | UMKC | 303 | 280 | 277 | 860 |
| 2. | IUPUI | 297 | 292 | 281 | 870 |
| Southern Utah | 296 | 295 | 279 | 870 | |
| 4. | IPFW | 301 | 301 | 283 | 885 |
| 5. | Oral Roberts | 308 | 295 | 283 | 886 |
| 6. | Western Illinois | 306 | 291 | 294 | 891 |
| 7. | South Dakota State | 306 | 297 | 292 | 895 |
| 8. | Oakland | 309 | 296 | 291 | 896 |
| 9. | North Dakota State | 308 | 306 | 306 | 920 |
| 10. | Centenary | 332 | 315 | 299 | 946 |
| 2012 Men's Golf Preseason Poll | ||
| Place |
Team | Points (1st) |
| 1. | UMKC | 74 (3) |
| 2. | IUPUI | 73 (6) |
| 3. | Southern Utah | 67 (1) |
| 4. | Oral Roberts | 56 |
| 5. | South Dakota State | 41 |
| 6. | IPFW | 39 |
| 7. | Western Illinois | 37 |
| 8. | Oakland | 36 |
| 9. | North Dakota State | 17 |
| 10. | South Dakota | 10 |
