Air Force Academy

Sept. 10, 2009

The Air Force golf team opens the 2009 fall season this weekend, Sept. 11-12, as it travels to the 55th-annual William H. Tucker Invitational, hosted by New Mexico at the par-72, 7,591-yard UNM Championship Course. The first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament will be played on Friday, with the final round scheduled for Saturday.

About the William H. Tucker Invitational...
The William H. Tucker Invitational enters its 55th season this fall and is the second-oldest men's college tournament in the country, behind only the New England Intercollegiate Golf Tournament. Past participants at the Tucker Invitational include such golfing greats as Tiger Woods (Stanford), Phil Mickelson (Arizona State), Ben Crenshaw (Texas) and Johnnie Miller (BYU).

Scouting the Falcons...
Ten Air Force golfers from the 2008-09 season return to the team this year, accompanied by five newcomers. Leading the returners this season is senior Tom Whitney, an all-conference honoree and top performer in each of the Falcons' 12 events last year.

Rounding out this year's senior class are Peter Guzowski, Alex Horrell and Josh McFarland, while the junior class is comprised of Kyle Bailey, one of just three players to compete in every tournament for the Falcons last season, and Aaron White. Meanwhile, the sophomore class is four-deep, with Robert Belz, Mark Boyer, Travis Deckert and Caleb Leestma returning.

Joining the Falcons this year are freshmen Wes Denny, Tyler Downing, Andrew Hoops, Brian Hwang and Daniel Katz.

Koury, a 1993 Academy graduate and former team captain and MVP, has helped the Falcons continue their dominance at the Service Academy Golf Classic, winning 12 straight seasons. In addition, he helped lead Air Force to the team title at the 2005 Falcon Invitational, marking the first time since the inaugural event in 1969 that the team won its own tournament outright.

The Field...
Seventeen teams are slated to compete in this year's William H. Tucker Invitational, including defending national champion Texas A&M, which is ranked seventh in the preseason Golf World/NIKE Golf Division I Coaches' Poll. A full list of this year's field follows: Air Force, Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Campbell, Colorado, New Mexico, New Mexico State, North Texas, Pepperdine, San Diego State, No. 7 Texas A&M, UNLV, UTEP, UTSA, Utah and Wyoming.

Last Year at the Tucker Invitational...
With a three-round score of 922, the Air Force golf team placed 14th the William H. Tucker Invitational in 2008. UNLV won the team title, while Derek Tolan of Colorado captured medalist honors.

The top performer for the Falcons at last year's event was Tom Whitney, who tied for 37th place in the individual standings at 226 (+10).

A Busy Summer for Whitney...
Senior Tom Whitney had a rather busy summer, competing in numerous tournaments over the past few months. In addition to participating in the Colorado Open, Whitney qualified for a pair of USGA championship events, competing in both the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the U.S. Amateur. Whitney, who owns school records for lowest 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole tournament scores and represented the Falcons at the NCAA South Central Regional in May, advanced to the second round of match play at the U.S. Publinks during his first career USGA championship.

Up Next...
Next on the schedule for Air Force is the program's only home tournament of the year, the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. Slated for Sept. 19-20 at Eisenhower Golf Club, the Falcons' annual tournament, previously known as both the Rocky Mountain Invitational and the Pikes Peak Invitational, is now in its 41st year.

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