The Ferris men’s golf team travelled to Bath, Mich., on April 22-23 to get a feel for what the neutral course and field of competition for the GLIAC Tournament would be like in the fall season.
Ferris took on teams interested in previewing the upcoming GLIAC Championship Tournament scheduled for the 2011-12 season at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath.
In the preview tournament, the Bulldogs took fourth place. Grand Valley State took the top spot, while Findlay and Ashland followed for second and third-place, respectively.
“The conditions were difficult during the tournament and with Eagle Eye being a neutral site and us as a team not being totally familiar with the golf course, our performance was acceptable,” said senior Garrett Simons.
For the ninth consecutive season, the Bulldogs will make an NCAA Regional appearance. Their win of the GLIAC Championship gave the Bulldogs an automatic bid in the Regional.
“It is a tremendous accomplishment for our program to once again be in the Super-Regional,” said Ferris coach Mike Mignano. “Winning the GLIAC Championship gave us an automatic berth into post-season play so we have had our sights set on Cherry Blossom since the fall.”
The Bulldogs will travel to the Cherry Blossom Golf Club in Georgetown, Ky. on May 2-4 for the 2011 Midwest/South Central Super Regional hosted by North Kentucky University.
“The Super-Regional is always a very competitive tournament and two or three shots can make all of the difference in making it to the National Championship,” said Mignano.
The Regional will consist of 10 teams from the Midwest Region along with 10 from the South Central Region. The top five teams will advance to the 2011 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships scheduled for May 16-20 at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Florence, Ala.
“We have been working each day to improve ourselves individually and as a team to attain that goal of a National Championship,” said Simons.
The Bulldogs will look to make their 15th appearance at nationals in the program’s history.
If the Bulldogs qualify for Nationals, it will be for the third year in a row. Last year, Ferris registered a school-best effort by tying for seventh place in the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championships.