47.8 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAustin Peay State University Governors Golf heads to Florida for Talis Park...

Austin Peay State University Governors Golf heads to Florida for Talis Park Challenge

Austin Peay Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Governors Sports - APSUNaples, FL – Austin Peay State University men’s golf team hopes to begin a new streak when it tees it up in Southwest Florida for the The Talis Park Challenge, Sunday and Monday, at the Talis Park Golf Club.

Austin Peay Men's Golf. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Golf. (APSU Sports Information)

The two-day, 54-hole (36 holes Sunday, 18 Monday) will be played on the par-72, 7,025-yard Talis Park layout with a 143 slope rating.

After a two-week layoff the Governors are ready to resume competition after finishing seventh at the Samford Intercollegiate. It stopped a streak of 19 straight regular-season tournaments where APSU finished in the Top 5.

To begin a new streak, the Governors will have to do it against an exceptional tourney field that includes a quartet of teams—Vanderbilt (21), Indiana (85), Florida Gulf Coast (93) and Notre Dame (95) along with APSU (86)—ranked in the Top 100 while another team, Wichita State has appeared in six straight NCAA tournaments. In addition, host Ball State, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, IUPUI, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Toledo and Xavier will be among the 14-team field.

“We will be playing against an outstanding tournament field,” APSU coach Kirk Kayden said. “We have had a great week of practice the guys have put a lot of work in this week. Now that the guys have had a couple of tournaments under their belt they should be well prepared.”

APSU will utilize the same lineup it has fashioned in the spring’s first two tournaments: seniors Anthony Bradley, Marco Iten and Trey Tarpley along with sophomores Chris Baker and Austin Kramer. The “spring” averages of All-Ohio Valley golfers Iten (74.5/round) and Bradley (76.8) are reflective of the Govs early-season struggles with weather as far as practice time and playing conditions are concerned.

However, APSU has been able to gain much-needed multiple practices during spring break, including a few days in Florida—they played on Friday with former Golf Gov Erik Barnes, who currently is playing on the PGA Tour Latino America.

After playing and practicing on bent grass greens during preseason and early tournaments, the Govs have played mostly on Bermuda greens in Florida. Now they will face another putting challenge.

Talis Park Golf Club is just one of two courses designed by the Greg Norman-Pete Dye partnerships. SeaDwarf® Paspalum fairways and greens, the Talis Park is ranked as one of the Top 20 Florida courses.

“We will have to make some adjustments around the greens,” Kayden said. “We need to adapt to greens that we are not used to being Bermuda.”

Live scoring will be available at www.ballstatesports.com and www.birdiefire.com .

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles