March 3, 2013

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's golf team returns to the links this week when the Tigers compete in the 28th Annual Louisiana Classics in Lafayette on Monday and Tuesday.

"We are excited to be competing in the Louisiana Classics this week," said head coach Grant Robbins. "It's a great event and a strong field. We had a good week of practice and I know the guys are excited and ready to go."

The Field
The Tigers will go up against some of the top teams in the country again this week with six of the 14 teams ranked in the top 50 - No. 14 LSU, No. 20 Illinois, No. 23 Kent State, No. 34 Houston, No. 38 Tulsa and No. 47 South Alabama. Also in the field is Kansas, host Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss, Texas State and UTSA.

Memphis Lineup
Memphis will be represented by senior Steve Lee, juniors Grant Milner and Will Pearson, sophomore Cory Gaylord and freshman Thomas Perrot for the second-straight tournament.

Event Schedule
The tournament will begin on Monday at 8 a.m. (CT) with a shotgun start on the par 72, 6, 898-yard. The second round will be start at approximately 1 p.m. that afternoon while the final round will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday with a shotgun start.

Last Time Out
Memphis competed against eight top-50 teams in the 16-team Mobile Bay Intercollegiate two weeks ago, finishing sixth and one stroke off of No. 46 Mississippi State and No. 23 Wake Forest. The Tigers were as high as second during the tournament but a 5-over par score in the final round was not enough as the top-five teams shot under par on the day to surge ahead in the final 18 holes. Memphis defeated three top-50 teams in No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 37 Kentucky and No. 50 South Alabama.

Setting Their Mark
Will Pearson, Grant Milner, Steve Lee and Carlson Cox rank in the top-10 all-time in lowest career average. Jonathan Fly is the school record holder with a 72.3 average during his three years (2010-12) at the U of M. Pearson is currently in sixth with a 74.0 while Milner and Lee hold a 74.2 average for eighth-best. Cox has a 74.4 to tie for tenth.

Upcoming Tournaments
Memphis will head to Opelika, Ala., next week for Auburn's Tiger Invitational at the Robert Trent Jones Grand National Golf Course.

Connect with the Tigers
Fans can follow the Memphis men's golf team on Twitter @MemphisMGolf and also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MemphisTigersGolf.