Air Force Academy

Oct. 2, 2009

The Air Force golf team is back in action Oct. 5-6, at the Service Academy Golf Classic, being held at The Courses at Andrews Air Force Base. The 54-hole tournament will feature two rounds on Monday, with the final round to be played Tuesday. Round one will begin Monday with an 8:00 a.m. (ET) shotgun start, followed by round two at 1:00 p.m. The final round is slated to begin at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday.

About the Service Academy Golf Classic...
The Service Academy Golf Classic, which features teams from Air Force, Army, Merchant Marines and Navy, is now in its 15th season. Started in 1993 by Air Force graduate Bill Reemtsma, the Classic was annually held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for its first 14 years. The event returns after a two-year hiatus, this time in the Washington, D.C. area.

The winning team of the tournament is awarded the Bill Reemtsma Memorial Trophy, while the individual winner receives the Nick Stafford Medalist Trophy.

Air Force Dominance At the SAGC...
In the first 14 years of the Service Academy Golf Classic, Air Force has won 12 consecutive team titles, while finishing as the runner-up in the first two seasons. In addition, Air Force golfers have won medalist honors nine times (while tying for first place on one occasion).

Ben Leestma, a 2002 Air Force graduate, echoed the Falcons' dominance at the event, winning medalist honors in each of his four seasons. Current senior Tom Whitney is the defending SAGC medalist, winning the honor in his first season at Air Force.

In the Rankings...
According to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings (updated Oct. 1), senior Tom Whitney ranks among the top 100 individuals in college golf, coming in at No. 65. Army's top golfer, Matt Krembel, is rated at 195, while Navy's Ben Hayes is ranked 357th.

Last Time Out...
The Air Force golf team tied for sixth at its own Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, held Sept. 19-20. The Falcons posted a three-round score of 866, which ranks as the seventh-lowest team tournament score in school history.

Senior Tom Whitney was the top performer for the Falcons for the second-straight week, tying for third overall with a score of 211 (-5). It was his second top-three finish in as many tournaments this season. In addition, sophomore Travis Deckert posted the first top-20 finish of his career, tying for 20th overall with a score of 217 (+1).

MWC Golfer of the Month...
Senior Tom Whitney was named the MWC Men's Co-Golfer of the Month for his performance during the month of September.

Whitney recorded a pair of top-three finishes in his first two events of the season, tying for third at both the William H. Tucker Invitational and the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. He carded a 210 (-6) at the Tucker Invitational, followed by a 211 (-5) at the Falcon Invitational. Both scores rank among the lowest 25 individual tournament scores in school history.

In addition, Whitney shot at or below par in five of six rounds, and ranked second in the league with a 70.2 stroke average.

In the Record Books...
With his performance in the first two tournaments of the season, senior Tom Whitney has added a pair of entries into the Air Force record books. His score of 210 at the Tucker Invitational currently ranks tied for the 11th-lowest individual tournament score in school history, while his score of 211 at the Falcon Invitational is tied for 17th-lowest.

Whitney now owns 11 of the 27 lowest individual scores in Air Force history--the second-most represented name on the list is 2007 graduate Tyler Goulding with five. In addition, Whitney has fired a 214 or lower in a 54-hole tournament 16 times, surpassing Goulding's mark of 13.

In addition, Whitney also now posted a top-three finish seven times in his career, the second-most top-three finishes in school history. Ben Leestma, a 2002 graduate, holds the Academy record for most career top-three finishes with nine, including seven individual titles.

As a team, Air Force shot 866 at the Falcon Invitational, a mark which ranks as the seventh-lowest team tournament score in school history. In addition, it is the team's second-lowest score ever at the event.

Up Next...
Next on the schedule for the Falcons is the annual Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, hosted by New Mexico State, Oct. 26-27.

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