Friday, August 30, 2002

Johnson City, Tenn. (Aug. 30, 2002) -- A press conference to discuss the fifth annual Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges was held Friday at The Ridges Golf and Country Club in Jonesboro, Tenn. The tournament will take place on Sept. 14-15 and will feature five first-time participants, as well as nine teams that have played in the invitational in previous years. Over the last five years, the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges has become one of the premier college golf tournaments in the United States. Each year, the tournament has featured many of the nation's finest teams and individual players. This year will be no different. "We are pleased to have another strong field this year at the Ridges," commented ETSU men's golf coach Fred Warren during the press conference. "With so many tournaments this time of year, there is a lot of competition for great teams. We have been very fortunate." Seven teams in the Golfworld top-25 as well as seven teams in the Golfweek top-30 will compete in the event. Headlining the tournament will be Wake Forest, led by star junior Bill Haas. Haas recently made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "Bill has had a great summer and will be one of the top ranked college players in America," said Warren. Joining the Demon Deacons in the event will be the two-time defending champions TCU, Arkansas, Auburn, Augusta State, Duke, Georgia Southern, Houston, North Carolina, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and host school, East Tennessee State. "We are real proud of this tournament, a chance to show off a great golf course in The Ridges," said Warren. "Players from other teams are uniformly complimentary about this course." "All of East Tennessee has helped put this tournament on for ETSU," said William B. Greene, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Bank of Tennessee. "All of us should take great pride in showcasing the East Tennessee State golf team and The Ridges." Admission to the event is free and live scoring will be available on www.golfstat.com and www.bankoftennessee.com.