Wednesday, September 10, 2003

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (September 8, 2003) - In its previous five years of play, the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Ridges has hosted some of the best teams and individual players in college golf. This year will not be any different. The 2003-04 tournament will be played Sept. 13-14 at the Ridges Golf and Country Club, with a practice round scheduled for Sept. 12. ETSU men's golf coach Fred Warren said he is more than pleased with the 18 teams that will compete in this year's event. "I'm very pleased with the quality of the field and I think the other coaches are as well," Warren said. "This is the strongest group we've ever had for this tournament, and I think that speaks well for everyone involved in the event. Teams enjoy coming to the Ridges and playing in the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate." A quick glance at Golfweek's 2003-04 preseason poll backs up Warren's claim. Of the Top 30 teams in the poll, 15 will be playing at the Ridges this weekend, including No. 1 Clemson. In fact, 12 of those 15 teams are ranked in the Top 25 - including East Tennessee State, which will start the year ranked 22nd. For up-to-the-minute results, fans can access golfstat.com on the men's golf page or by simply going to golfstat.com. The rest of the field includes: Alabama No. 21 Auburn No. 1 Clemson No. 22 East Tennessee State No. 3 Florida No. 5 Georgia No. 10 Georgia Tech No. 29 Illinois Kansas No. 13 North Carolina No. 26 Oklahoma No. 16 Southern California No. 23 South Carolina No. 25 Tennessee No. 12 TCU No. 27 Tulsa Virginia Tech No. 19 Wake Forest