KALAMAZOO, Mich. - After many long winter months of practice in the Seelye Athletic Center, Western Michigan golf will tee it up at the Red Rocks for the fourth year in a row, one of only six teams in the 17-team field to do so. The 36-hole event has shotgun starts on both Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (8 a.m.). Western Michigan had its best finish of the 2007-08 campaign at this event, finishing second a year ago.
The Broncos finished two strokes behind tournament champion, and Mid-American Conference rival, Eastern Michigan. It was one of five top-five finishes for the Brown & Gold in 2007-08 and one of three during the spring season alone. Individually, WMU showed well with a pair of Broncos finishing in the top 10. Elise Swartout claimed third place (tie) with a two-round score of 152. She carded identical rounds of 76 to finish +8 for the tournament. It was the best tournament of the Ann Arbor, Mich., native's collegiate career.
Finishing 10th was Britney Hamilton. It was one of her only two tournaments of the 2008 spring season as she was forced to not compete for the remainder of the campaign due to injury. Hamilton, who finished in the top 10 three times during her rookie campaign, shot 80-76 to finish with 156 (+12). She has added two more top-10 finishes this fall with a seventh place at the Ross Resorts Invitational and a career best sixth place (tie) at the season-opening Nittany Lion Women's Invitational.
The field for the 2009 Red Rocks Invitational will include 17 teams ? host Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon, Idaho State, Michigan, Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Oral Roberts, Portland, Portland State, South Carolina Upstate, Southern Utah, Utah Valley, Western Michigan, Winthrop, Wyoming and Xavier. Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Western Michigan and Wyoming are the only entrants into this year's field to have participated in each of the past four years (including 2009).
Oakcreek Country Club, designed by the famous father and son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr., can truly be described as a work of art. The par 72, 18-hole championship golf course (6,089 yards) is nestled among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona with views beyond compare and the golf course design a masterpiece. For more information, visit www.oakcreekcountryclub.com.
Results will be available at the end of each round on www.wmubroncos.com.
