PROVO -- Brigham Young University men's golf team hosts the 41st annual PING Cougar Classic on Friday-Saturday April 25-26 at Riverside Country Club in Provo, Utah.
"This is a chance for us to showcase our team," BYU assistant coach Kyle Wight said. "It's important for us to come out and win our home tournament and gain momentum going into next week's Mountain West Conference Championship."
Leading the Cougars this season are Freshman Daniel Summerhays and Sophomore Greg Machtaler. Both have consistently finished as the top two individuals all season long for the Cougars.
Machtaler, a Canadian, is coming off an impressive showing at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational last week where he shot a career low 11-under-par and finished in third place among many of the nation's top players.
Summerhays, a two-time Utah State Amateur champion who finished 32nd at the ASU Thunderbird, had a third-place finish at Southern California's Cleveland Golf Classic on March 4th. Combined the pair has for six top-10 finishes and 16 top-25 finishes on the season.
Sophomore Ron Harvey Jr., freshman Oscar Alvarez, and senior Jared Overton round out the Cougar line-up. Solid play from all three will be a key to BYU's success this weekend.
At last year's PING Cougar Classic, a late April snow storm forced the tournament to be cancelled after the first two rounds. BYU, Colorado State and Nevada finished in a three-way tie for first at seven-under-par. Senior All-American Nick Watney of Fresno State ran away with the individual title after going 10-under par in 36 holes.
The Cougars have won or tied for first at the Cougar Classic four out of the last five years. Current PGA professional and former All-American Andy Miller was the last Cougar to take individual honors when he shot a third-round record 63 in 2000. A victory for the Cougars would solidify their invitation to the NCAA West Regional on May 8-10.
This year 12 teams will challenge for the PING Cougar Classic crown. BYU, currently ranked No. 44 in the Golfweek Poll, welcomes a competitive field featuring No. 45 Colorado State, No. 49 Denver, No. 77 Utah, No. 84 Nevada, Air Force, Boise State, Hawaii, Wyoming, Southern Utah, Utah State and Weber State.
Weather permitting, play will begin at 8:00 a.m. Teams will play 36 holes on Friday and 18 on Saturday at Provo's Riverside Country Club. The public is invited to attend and admission is free.
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2002 PING COUGAR CLASSIC QUICK FACTS
Date: April 25-26 (Friday & Saturday)
Rounds: Three-rounds (54 holes); 36 holes on Friday (tee times beginning at 8 a.m.), 18 holes on Saturday 1st and 10th tees
Friday Tee Times: First round starts at 8:00-10:00 a.m. on 1st and 10th tees; second round tee times start at 12:00-2:00 p.m. (weather permitting)
Saturday Tee Times: Third round starts at 8:00-10:00 a.m. on 1st and 10th tees. In case of bad weather, the tournament will change to a shotgun start at approximately 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. (weather permitting)
Course: Riverside Country Club
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,950
2002 Champion: BYU, Colorado State and Nevada tied at 569 (36 holes)
Defending Individual Champion: Nick Watney, Fresno State (65-66--134)
Tournament Director:Bruce Brockbank, Brigham Young University's head men's golf coach
TOURNAMENT Field (12 Teams): Air Force, BYU, Boise State, Colorado State, University of Denver, Hawaii, Nevada, Southern Utah, Utah, Utah State, Weber State, Wyoming
TOURNAMENT FORMAT: Best four of five scores counted on a daily basis. In case of a first-place tie, the three round total of the fifth score will be used to break the tie. A tie for the individual championship will be broken by a sudden death playoff beginning on hole no. 1.
Media Contact: Call Dave Broberg at the BYU Media Relations Office (801) 422-4907, or email: david_broberg@byu.edu with any requests. During the Tournament you can reach Dave on his mobile phone at (801) 372-0704.