The University of Akron Athletics
Coach Trainor Announces 2011-12 Men's Golf Schedule
August 03 | Men's Golf
Complete 2011-12 Men's Golf Schedule
AKRON, Ohio – The Firestone Invitational and an early meeting with schools from the Southeastern Conference highlight The University of Akron's 2011-12 men's golf schedule head coach David Trainor announced on Wednesday.
The fall slate includes five tournaments, including events hosted by Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois, Vanderbilt, Illinois State and Dayton, in addition to the Zips' own Firestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club.
"Our fall schedule will provide a challenging start to our season," Trainor said. "We have scheduled some great competition on some great venues. I look forward to helping our players achieve their individual goals, and our overall team goals."
Akron opens its first season under the direction of Trainor on Sept. 10 when it travels to Sugar Grove, Ill., for The Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 10-11). The event will be on the same course – Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course – as the 2012 MAC Championship event.
After a week off, the Zips will travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Sept. 23-25). The tournament includes a number of SEC schools and is named after former PGA professional Mason Rudolph, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and a member of the victorious 1971 Ryder Cup team.
The following week will see Akron traveling to Normal, Ill., for the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate (Oct. 1-2). The event will serve as the tune-up for the Zips' own Firestone Invitational on Oct. 10-11. This will be the third year for the event, played on the North Course of the world renowned Firestone Country Club. UA closes out the fall slate in Kettering, Ohio, at the Dayton Flyer Invitational (Oct. 17-18).
The spring schedule includes two dates in the state of Florida and one date each in the states of Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana. The Zips open play on Feb. 13-14 at the MAC Match Play event in Tampa, Fla.
Six days later, Akron travels to Mobile, Ala., for a return visit to the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (Feb. 20-21). The Zips finished tied for third at last season's edition. The squad will then have some time off before battling the field at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate (March 5-6) in Aiken, S.C.
A second trip to the state of Florida follows when UA competes at the UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate (March 12-13) in Orlando, Fla. The final two regular season events come at the Memphis Intercollegiate (April 10-11) and the Boilermaker Invitational (April 21-22).
Postseason play will open at the MAC Championships on April 27-29. The Zips will look to earn a bid to the NCAA Regional Championships, which will be held at several locations throughout the nation on May 18-20.
The Zips open their 79th season following a strong finish to the 2010-11 slate. Akron closed out last season ranked No. 98 in the Golfstat and No. 91 in the Golfweek rankings thanks to their wire-to-wire victory at the Illini Spring Classic on April 16-17. It was the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Zips closed out a season ranked in the top-100 of both polls.
Akron returns six student-athletes from last season, including 2011 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar and senior Scott Landreth and 2011 MAC All-Tournament team honoree Cameron Simmons. The Zips will also have the services of seniors Ryan Mason and Kevin Pikus, junior Tim Lew and sophomore Charlie Bull while welcome incoming freshman Harry Whittle to the squad.
| Date | Event | Location |
| Sept. 10-11 | The Northern Intercollegiate | Sugar Grove, Ill. |
| Sept. 23-25 | Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Oct. 1-2 |
D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate | Normal, Ill. |
| Oct. 10-11 | The Firestone Invitational | Akron, Ohio |
| Oct. 17-18 | Dayton Flyer Invitational | Kettering, Ohio |
| Feb. 13-14 | Mid-American Conference Match Play | Tampa, Fla. |
| Feb. 20-21 | Mobile Bay Intercollegiate | Mobile, Ala. |
| March 5-6 | Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate | Aiken, S.C. |
| March 12-13 | UCF/Rio Pinar Intercollegiate | Orlando, Fla. |
| April 10-11 | Memphis Intercollegiate | Memphis, Tenn. |
| April 21-22 | Boilermaker Invitational | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| April 27-29 | Mid-American Conference Championship |
Sugar Grove, Ill. |
| May 17-19 | NCAA Regional Championships | TBD |
| May 29-June 3 | NCAA Championship | Pacific Palisades, Calif. |
Players Mentioned
