Feb. 13, 2014
BRADENTON, Fla. - The Penn State men's golf team will head to the Big Ten Match Play Championship in Bradenton, Fla. Feb 14-15 to open their spring slate at The Concessions Golf Club.
The course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, is a par-72 and runs 7,177 yards. Home to the men's and women's NCAA Championships in 2015, it will welcome all 12 Big Ten teams Friday for the opening round. Illinois, the reigning 2013 match play champions, will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the sixth consecutive year.
Making the trip for the Nittany Lions will be juniors Xander McDonald-Smith (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) and Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.), sophomores JD Dornes (Lancaster, Pa.), Geoff Vartelas (Cromwell, Conn.), and Chris Houston (Gilford, N.H.), and freshman Christian Elliott(Port Perry, Ontario).
No. 10 seed Penn State will take on No. 7 Minnesota in the first round, with the winner advancing to play No. 2 Purdue. The four first-round matches will begin at 7:30 a.m. ET, followed by four quarterfinal contests scheduled to begin at noon.
The semifinals will take place Saturday morning at approximately 7:30 a.m., while the championship match will begin at 1 p.m.
Last year, the Lions split the competition on day one of the tournament, falling to Michigan State in the first round but defeating Minnesota in the second. On day two, Wisconsin overcame Penn State 4-1-0.
Follow @PennStateMGolf on Twitter and "like" Penn State Men's Golf on Facebook for the latest updates on the squad. Recaps will be posted on GoPSUsports.com following each day of match play. Live scoring can be followed here: http://www.ajga.org/big10mpc/