TUCSON, Ariz. (Jan. 27, 2008) - Having said farewell to the most decorated golfer in the history of the program, the ETSU men's golf team enters the 2008 spring season on Monday in the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate at the Arizona National Golf Club. The team will play 36 holes on Monday, followed by 18 on Tuesday, and fans can watch live stats from the event by visiting Golfstat.com.

The Buccaneers, who were ranked in the Top 25 for much of the fall season, enter the spring season with a great deal of anticipation.

After a career which included three straight PING first-team All-America selections and a No. 1 national ranking as a senior, Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales) has moved on to continue his golfing career at the professional level. However, Davies leaves behind his four Buccaneer teammates, who a year ago helped lead the team to a record 21^st conference title and their second straight trip to the NCAA Championships.

But even without Davies, the Bucs have shown already that they have the talent to continue their winning tradition. In fact, the team has a new Rhys. Freshman Rhys Enoch (Cornwall, England) wasted little time making a name for himself this past fall, finishing first on the team with a 71.1 stroke average, posting three Top 7 finishes and ended the fall ranked 26^th in the nation by Golfweek/Sagarin.

Meanwhile, the Bucs return a bevy of experience talent, including honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Atlantic Sun selection Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), who finished his junior season second on the squad in stroke average and enjoyed seven finishes of 16^th or better. Shaw enters his senior year already earning national recognition, as he was selected preseason third team All-America by Golfweek. Along with Shaw, sophomore Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) returns after an outstanding freshman campaign. Power, who finished third on the team in stroke average at 72.1, was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year after winning the A-Sun Championship individual title and earning A-Sun first-team accolades. Joining Shaw as the lone seniors on the team will be Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland), who has been a four-year contributor to the squad and brings a wealth of experience to the group. In addition, junior Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh, Scotland) has shown the ability to go low on the scorecard but will continue his search for a more consistent game this season.

Along with Enoch, Paul O'Kane (Castledawson, Northern Ireland) and Simon Doherty (Belfast, Northern Ireland) will also give the team some depth.

            For more on ETSU men's golf this weekend and throughout the upcoming year, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's golf link.