April 14, 2012

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. - The Samford University men's golf team will begin play in the 2012 Southern Conference Championship Sunday at 8 a.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs look to make waves in the 11-team event being held at the pristine Ralston Creek Golf Course.

The tournament has moved to a new home this year with Ralston Creek hosting the event for the first time. The 7,446-yard course was designed by Rees Jones and has hosted events such as the 2011 Nationwide Tour Championship last fall.

Georgia Southern is the defending champion at the event, as the Eagles claimed their third SoCon tournament title a year ago in Florence, S.C. Led by Lewis Gruber's 8-under par, second-place finish, the Eagles claimed a five-stroke victory over UNCG.

Chattanooga, which won three-consecutive titles from 2007-09 and finished third a year ago, enters the event as the top rated team in the league, according to Golfstat. The 34th-ranked Mocs are led by senior Stephan Jaeger, the 2010 and 2011 SoCon Player of the Year, who leads the league this year as well with a top 50 ranking.

Georgia Southern follows in the national rankings, coming in at 84, while College of Charleston, rated 95th, is also included in the national top 100.

Samford, Appalachian State and Furman have all won team titles during the 2011-12 season and will be joined at the tournament by Davidson, Elon, UNCG and Western Carolina.

The SoCon Men's Golf Championship has been played every season since 1933, aside from a four-year hiatus during World War II, and the event boasts past champions such as Arnold Palmer (1948-49) and Brad Faxon (1983).

Samford heads into this week's three-day competition with aspirations of topping its fourth-place performance at the SoCon Championship last season.

At the prestigious 2011 competition, the Bulldogs earned a fourth-place finish at the SoCon Championship as the highly-competitive 11-team tournament came to a close at the Country Club of South Carolina. Samford tallied a third-round score of 295 to finish the event.

Additionally, the Bulldogs' head coach Woodie Eubanks was named the SoCon Coach of the Year. Last season, Samford's skipper helped guide a starting squad comprised one senior and four sophomores to a fourth-place finish at the talent-laden SoCon Championship.

Samford's Casey O'Toole finished the three-day tournament tied for eighth place and turned in a 54-hole score of 216 (69-71-76) to lead the squad. The Bulldogs' Bill Nabors turned in the team's best round as he carded a 71 to finish the three-day tournament tied for 15th place at 219 (72-76-71).

Following Nabors, Samford's Martin Bunt tallied a 54-hole total of 221 (72-75-74), while Gabe Hyde registered a 223 (75-74-74) and Drew Aimone posted a three-round score of 225 (74-73-78).

The winner of the SoCon Championship will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional while the Individual Medalist will also earn an automatic regional qualification.

The tournament tees off at 7 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday and fans can follow the action at http://golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2747.