Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs to Host First Annual Nick Watney Invitational
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
The Nick Watney Invitational
Monday-Tuesday, September 29-30, 2014
Sunnyside Country Club • Fresno, Calif.
On the Web • www.sunnyside-cc.com
Live Results • Live results will be available at GoBulldogs.com
Bulldog Contingent • Justin Avery, Neil Bautista, Keenan Nelson, Michael Pugh, Cody Riecks,
Harold Calubid (Ind.), Troy Sweeney (Ind.), Russell Takeuchi (Ind.) Tee Times • Monday, 8:30 a.m. PT (Shotgun start); Tuesday, 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. PT (off #1 and #10 tees)
Social Media • twitter.com/FSAthletics • #GoDogs
By: Stesha Brazil
sbrazil@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's golf team is set to host the first annual Nick Watney Invitational, starting Monday, Sept. 29. The two-day 54-hole tournament will be held at Sunnyside Country Club and will test the Bulldogs along with nine visiting schools for the inaugural championship.
"Things are coming along great," said head coach Chad Spencer. We are a younger, very talented team. I think once these guys get more and more reps in we will be even better."
"All of the returners have really matured," said sophomore golfer Michael Pugh. "I think the unity on the team has really grown since last year."
The Dogs' have done well the past couple of weeks and are taking advantage of the momentum from their fourth place finish at the St. Mary's invitational last week.
"We can't wait for the Nick Watney Invitational to start," said Coach Spencer. "We are playing well and we have had a couple weeks of great preparation leading up. We expect the momentum from St. Mary's to continue."
The Tournament
• The event will span two days and feature 54 holes of stroke play. A shotgun start format will be used for rounds one and two, both held on Monday. All players will be re-grouped before the final round on Tuesday, based on scores, and tee of every 10 minutes from holes #1 and #10. For the purposes of tournament honors and awards, ties will be split per NCAA Championship tie-breaking procedures.
• Along with nine visiting teams from around the west coast, the Fresno State men's golf team will compete at Sunnyside Country Club from Sept. 29-30.
• The Fresno State Classic, formerly called the `Fresno State Lexus Classic', was renamed `The Nick Watney Invitational' prior to the September 2014 edition after former Fresno State standout and PGA golfer Nick Watney. Watney played at Fresno State from 2000-2003, and was a three-time All-American. Watney was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2000 and the WAC Player of the Year three consecutive seasons, 2001-03.
• UC Santa Barbara is the previous team champion, winning the Fresno State Classic at San Joaquin Country Club (288-298-297=873). Fresno State has captured the tournament crown six times (`73, '84, '90, '94, '01, '02), with its last win coming when Nick Watney led the team both seasons. Watney was the individual champion of the Classic both in 2001 and 2002. At the 2001 event, Watney fired a Fresno State Classic record 63 during the second round, aiding the `Dogs to a 40-shot win over the second place finisher Stanford.
• In addition to Nick Watney, other Fresno State alumni who have won individual crown include Jerry Heard (1967-68), Bob Berkler (1970), and Dana Booth (1977).
• BYU holds the event's most team win, at 12.
The Field
• The 10-team field is comprised of host Fresno State, Bakersfield, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Grand Canyon, Pacific, Sacramento State, Santa Clara, UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
The Course
• Known for its tree-lined fairways, beautiful bunkering and challenging bent grass, Sunnyside Country Club (located on the southeast side of Fresno, Calif.) will serve as the host site of this year's first annual Nick Watney Invitational.
• The par-72 course will play at 6,950 yards from the championship tees.
"Be Bold!" - The official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs is 940 AM ESPN Radio.
