Red Raider Golf Opens Up Season In Georgia
September 09, 2010 | Men's Golf
Sept. 9, 2010
LUBBOCK, Texas - Coming off of its best season since 1959, the Texas Tech men's golf team begins the 2010 season this weekend as they open up play in the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic Friday morning at The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Ga.
Head coach Greg Sands returns four seniors from a squad who finished eighth in the nation, the school's highest finish in 51 years, after advancing to match play at the 2010 NCAA Championships. In their historic run, the Red Raiders captured the program's first NCAA Regional title after coming from behind to win the South Central Regional in College Station, Texas. The squad lost only one senior off last year's team, Chris Ward. Ward claimed Tech's first Big 12 individual championship as well as earning PING Second Team All-American honors for his senior season.
Coach Sands looks to senior All-American Nils Floren to lead the squad this season. In his junior campaign, the reigning Carpet Capital Collegiate champion was arguably the most consistent on the course for the Red Raiders en route to a team-leading five top-5 finishes, including his first collegiate title at the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic. The Sweden native earned PING First Team All-American honors as well as being named to the All-Big 12 Conference team for the second straight year.
Seniors Matt Smith, Will Griffin and Sergio Franky will also return for their senior season while redshirt freshman Chandler Rusk will round out the veteran team this weekend.
The 12-team field this weekend features four 2010 NCAA Championship teams in Clemson, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Texas Tech. The tournament will also include Alabama, Auburn, Chattanooga, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Wake Forest.
Tennessee returns to the course as the reigning Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic champion as the Volunteers managed to run away with the team title last year followed by Chattanooga while Georgia Tech rounded out the top three spots. Tech looks to improve on last year's eighth place finish at the Classic as they head into this weekend's tournament.
The three-day, 54-hole event gets underway Friday morning and will conclude with the final round beginning Sunday morning.
Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com and daily updates can be found at www.texastech.com.
Players Mentioned
