Feb. 20, 2011

MEMPHIS -- The University of Memphis golf team will begin its spring season Monday, Feb. 21, when it travels to Mobile, Ala. for the two-day, 54-hole Mobile Bay Intercollegiate at Magnolia Grove Crossings Course.

This is the second straight spring the Tigers have opened playing the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. Paced by Jonathan Fly's 14th place individual finish, Memphis finished eighth in the event in 2010. Fly posted scored of 73-72-75 while the Tigers turned in a 54-hole team total of 887 (291-285-301).

Play will begin at 8:15 a.m. Monday with a shotgun start at the par-72, 7,212-yard course, with Tuesday's final round slated to tee off from the first and 10th tees as 8 a.m. Memphis will be paired with Vanderbilt and tournament-host South Alabama and begin the first day on holes one through three.

Live scoring will be available via www.golfstat.com.

Defending champion Ole Miss isn't in this year's field, but the other seven teams (Illinois State, Louisvile, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, Mississippi State and Memphis) in last season's top-eight will participate. Akron, Arkansas State, Kentucky, South Florida and Southern Miss competed in the tournament a year ago as well.

Charlotte is the highest ranked squad in the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin ratings at No. 46 in the nation. Other schools in the field among the top 100 include No. 66 Middle Tennessee, 68th-ranked Vanderbilt, Memphis at No. 76, No. 79 USA, and No. 91 Louisiana-Lafayette.