Sept. 5, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - Coming off of banner years for both the men's and women's Catamount golf teams, head coaches Gorham Bradley and Steve Lott today released their respective team's schedules for the 2006-07 season.
2006-07 Western Carolina Men's Golf Schedule
2006-07 Western Carolina Women's Golf Schedule
"We are very excited about our 2006-07 schedule as the tournaments have a good mixture of both Southern Conference and national teams in the fields," said Lott. "We will be a young team this season, but I feel we will be as good as or even better than we were last year."
For the Catamount men, third-year head coach Gorham Bradley's season will start and finish at the same course - the Country Club of South Carolina. Led by defending Southern Conference champion and 2006 SoCon Player of the Year Matt Cook, Western will open the season on Sept. 18, playing in Francis Marion's Raines Development Group Intercollegiate. The Cats will return to Florence, S.C., golf course in April to play in the 2007 SoCon Championships.
Between those two stops, Western will make its annual trip to Sunset Beach, S.C., to play in the Elon's Sea Trail Intercollegiate (Sept. 23-24), Liberty's Frank Landrey Invitational (Oct. 16-17) and the Charleston Southern Invitational (Oct. 30-31). The Cats will conclude the fall portion of the schedule by hosting its own WCU Intercollegiate. The annual event will have a new home this fall, going to Hendersonville, N.C., and the Etowah Valley Country Club.
Prior to the SoCon Championships, Western will play in the Presbyterian Intercollegiate (Feb. 19-20), Campbell's Hargrove Davis Intercollegiate (Mar. 6-7), the Furman Invitational (Mar. 23-25) and the Wofford Invitational (April 1-2).
"Expectations for this year's men's golf team are very high," Bradley said. "We return Southern Conference Champion Matt Cook as well as Tripp Morrow, who are ranked 1-2 on the WCU all-time scoring list. Both of these young men have proven they know how to win at the college level and we will rely on them heavily to provide great leadership to our young players.
"After graduating five seniors off of last year's team, we welcome five freshman and one sophomore transfer to our program. All of these young players have had very successful junior careers and bring a wealth of big-time tournament experience with them. Thus far I am very pleased with how focused and committed they have been to working hard and building team unity. Based on our talent and commitment, there is no question in my mind that this will be one of the most successful teams that we have had in recent years."
On the women's side, Lott's squad will look to duplicate last year's tremendous start, playing in the same three tournaments as it did in 2005-06. Junior Malin Fryk will attempt to defend her individual medalist honor from a year ago at the season-opening Draper Valley Intercollegiate in Fort Chiswell, Va., on Sept. 11-12. Two weeks later, the Catamounts will visit Sunset Beach, N.C., in an attempt to repeat as the Sea Trail Intercollegiate team champion on Sept. 23-24. WCU posted last year's medalist as Ashley Hovda carded the lowest two-round score in school history, 138, to win the individual crown.
Western closes out the month of September by hosting the eighth annual Wachovia - Great Smokies Intercollegiate at the picturesque Waynesville Country Club in Waynesville, N.C. The Catamounts have won four-straight team titles and had five-consecutive individual medalists in the event.
The fall portion of the 06-07 schedule rounds out with tournament appearances at the Univ. of Cincinnati Fall Classic (Oct. 16-17), ECU Lady Pirate Intercollegiate (Oct. 20-22), and at the Edwin Watts / Palmetto Intercollegiate (Oct. 30-Nov. 1) on Kiawah Island, S.C.
In the spring, the Cats open up play in the Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate in Mobile, Ala., on March 5-6, followed by playing in the Shamrock Intercollegiate in Rock Hill, S.C. on March 16-18. Western returns in-state to play in the UNC Wilmington Spring Invitational (March 26-27) before wrapping up the regular season at the John Kirk / Lady Panther Collegiate in Atlanta, Ga., on April 2-3.
After finishing second by a mere two strokes a year ago, Western will set its sights on a second Southern Conference Championship at the conference tournament, April 15-17 in Charleston, S.C., hosted by The Citadel.
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