Nov. 2, 2008
The Hummingbird Intercollegiate - Round One Pairings/Tee Times 
Sapphire, N.C. - Western Carolina and its men's golf team will wrap up the fall portion of its 2008-09 schedule this Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 3-4 as it hosts the 14-team, Hummingbird Intercollegiate at the par 71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
The 36-hole event will begin with tee times starting at 9:30 am on Monday morning, with the final 18 holes slated for Tuesday. There is, however, the potential for frost delays each morning as forecasts call for highs in the lower 60s with low temperatures in the lower 40s / upper 30s over the next three days.
In addition to the host Catamounts, the field includes Southern Conference foes Appalachian State, Elon, Furman, Samford and Wofford, as well as nationally-ranked squads from Central Florida (34th) and Vanderbilt (63rd). Rounding out the field are Akron, Gardner-Webb, Francis Marion, High Point, Radford and Winthrop.
All told, a combined 12 of this year's 14 teams are returning from last year's event.
This is the third year that the WCU has hosted an event at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley. Previously, the WCU Intercollegiate in 2004 was won by Charleston Southern, which carded a six-under, 570, to edge Radford by six strokes. One year ago, battling blustery conditions, Western Carolina built upon its five-stroke opening round edge over Vanderbilt to win by 17 strokes over the Commodores to claim the team title.
Rounding out the top five from last season were Radford, High Point and Furman.
Western Carolina's Andres Cuenca and Dustin Furnari finished first and second, respectively, a top the leader board a year ago. Cuenca led from start-to-finish to claim individual medalist honors with consecutive rounds of 66 and 69 to finish with a seven-under, 135. Furnari and Martin Bunt from Samford shared runner-up accolades, four strokes in arrears at three-under, 139.
The Country Club of Sapphire Valley is a private, member-owned club that features a newly renovated valley golf course, new clubhouse, state-of-the-art fitness center and tennis center. The course meanders through the backdrop of a mature hardwood forest and scenic mountains that provide for breath taking views and a natural setting. The course, which sits on a level valley floor despite its mountainous surroundings, was originally designed by George Cobb and recently updated by Bill Bergin.
Results and recaps from the Hummingbird Intercollegiate will be posted at CatamountSports.com following each round of the two-day event.
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