Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Golf Opens Season on Sunday
August 28, 2008 | Men's Golf
Aug. 28, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's golf team will open the 2008 fall season this weekend (Aug. 31) with a trip to Farmington, Pa., for the Rutherford Intercollegiate, hosted by Penn State University. The three-day event will run will begin on August 31 and run through September 2.
The Falcons, of head coach Garry Winger, will be led by four juniors, a sophomore, and two freshmen in 2008-09.
Junior Matt Schneider, one of two Falcon captains in 2008-09, is the top BGSU returner after finishing last season with a 74.28 stroke average. He finished in a tie for 14th at the MAC Championships (78-74-71-75), while also finishing 10th at the John Piper Intercollegiate (72-71-75) and third at the MAC/Big East Challenge (69-73-75).
John Powers, the second Falcon captain, returns for his junior campaign, ending last season with a 75.25 stroke average. His top finishes last season were a 10th place finish at the MAC/Big East Challenge (74-74-73) and 17th at the Purdue Midwest Shootout (75), an event the Falcons won in 2007.
Scott Blackburn, a junior from Westlake, Ohio, averaged 79.00 in limited action last season. His top finish came at the Detroit Titan Invitational, where he finished in a tie for 18th (77-74-77).
The fourth and final junior is Chad Walker, from St. Thomas, Ontario. The younger brother of Falcon great, Jace, averaged 78.44 strokes a round while playing in three tournaments. His top finish came at the John Piper Intercollegiate where he finished in a tie for 20th (70-77-76).
The fifth Falcon veteran is sophomore Bryan Mitchell. Last season, while playing in 16 rounds of action, the Medina, Ohio, native averaged 77.75. His top finish came at the John Piper Intercollegiate where he finished in a tie for 20th (75-71-77).
The Falcons will also welcome two newcomers to the team this season in Parker Hewit and Drew Preston.
Hewit, a 2008 graduate of Cloverleaf High School in Westfield Center, Ohio, averaged 36.9 his senior year. At the Junior PGA Championships he finished 15th after finishing 13th the year prior.
Preston comes to BGSU after a successful career at Forest Hills Central High School in Ada, Michigan. He was a member of the All-State Super Team in 2007 and 2008. He also averaged 73.7 his senior year, while also recording the final round and course record low at the AJGA Midwest Junior Players Championship (67).
