April 6, 2012
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State men's golf team will welcome 13 teams to the par-71, 7,202-yard Penn State Blue Course for the 36th Annual Rutherford Intercollegiate, April 7-8.
The Nittany Lions will be joined by Army, Bowling Green, Connecticut, Canisius, Delaware, Eastern Michigan, George Mason, IUP, Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, St. Bonaventure, Towson and William & Mary. All programs have previously competed in the tournament, with seven being contenders last year.
At last season's Rutherford, Penn State captured both the tournament and individual titles. The Nittany Lions carded rounds of 290-296-294 (880) to conclude seven strokes ahead of second-place Towson (887). Former Nittany Lion T.J. Howe finished first, shooting a 2-over-par 73 in the final round to give him a grand total of 216 (70-73-73).
This season Penn State will look to capture the title for the 23rd time in program history, the 14th under Coach Greg Nye. If successful, the Nittany Lions will have taken the title for three consecutive years.
The Nittany Lion lineup will be composed of senior Tommy McDonagh (East Norwalk, Conn.), junior Jay Woodward (Bridgeport, W.Va.), sophomore Shane Stewart (Dublin, Ohio) and freshmen Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.) and Xander McDonald-Smith (Rockaway Park, N.Y.). The rest of the roster will also have a chance to compete as individuals.
The first 36 holes will be played Saturday with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start. The final round is slated for 8:00 a.m. Sunday. There will be no live scoring for the tournament. For updates, follow gopsu_mgolf on Twitter or check GoPSUsports.com for recaps after each round.
2012 Rutherford Intercollegiate Quick Facts
Location: State College, Pa.
Course: Penn State Blue Course
Dates: Sat.-Sun., April 7-8
Format: 36 holes on Saturday (shotgun start at 9:00 a.m.), 18 holes on Sunday (8:00 a.m. tee times)
Par/Yardage: 71/7,202
Tournament Field: Army, Bowling Green, Canisius, Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern Michigan, George Mason, IUP, Miami (Ohio), Penn State, Rutgers, St. Bonaventure, Towson and William & Mary
2011 Team Champion: Penn State, 290-296-294 (880)
2011 Individual Winner: T.J. Howe, Penn State, 70-73-73 (216)