OUTER BANKS, N.C. (September 2012) – The 33rd-annual ODU/Outer Banks Collegiate Golf Tournament will be played October 21-23 at the par-72, 6535-yard Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C.
Host squad Old Dominion is joined in the 18-team field by Hartford, Longwood, George Mason, George Washington, James Madison, Elon, Radford, Drexel, Delaware, Loyola, Georgia Southern, Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra, Saint Bonaventure, Drake and Marshall.
The teams will begin action with a practice round at Kilmarlic on Saturday, Oct. 20. Tee times begin at 8:30 a.m., on both the 1st and 10th tees, and fans can follow the scoring action live on www.golfstat.com.
Kilmarlic is a popular Tom Steele design that played host to the prestigious North Carolina Open in 2004 and 2009, and began hosting the ODU/Outer Banks Tournament in 2010 – the same year the tournament moved from a 36-hole to a 54-hole event, which has helped attract a stronger field of teams.
According to longtime Old Dominion head coach Murray Rudisill, who is approaching his 40th year leading the Monarchs golf program, Kilmarlic has been the perfect venue for the country’s top collegiate players.
“Kilmarlic has tremendous par-5s and par-3s,” Rudisill said. “That’s the beauty of the course – great risk-reward. They’ve had two North Carolina Opens [at Kilmarlic] so it is a challenge for the college guys. It’s not a seaside, links-type of course. It’s more of a traditional course in a nature environment. The facilities are beautiful and it’s always in pristine condition.”
Last year, the powerhouse Georgia men’s golf team won the 2011 invitational. Led by junior, first-time medalist T. J. Mitchell, the Bulldogs posted a final-round 12-under-par 276 at Kilmarlic to wind up at 30-under 834. Georgia pulled away on the back nine for a four-shot victory over Liberty. In addition, its 30-under tally was the seventh-best in school history.
“It was so nice to look in the eyes of all our players after this one,” said Bulldogs coach Chris Haack, who has piloted the Bulldogs to almost 50 titles in 16 seasons, including two national championships. “These guys have worked so hard, and you could tell that it meant a lot to them. We’ve got a pretty green team and we’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re really going to enjoy this one. Winning a tournament is a feeling that never gets old.”
Mitchell closed with a 5-under 67 to finish first at 15-under 201, posting a two-shot win over Liberty’s Robert Karlsson. Mitchell’s 15-under score tied the UGA school record for second-lowest figure trailing only Chris Kirk’s 18-under 295 in the 2007 All-American Classic. Mitchell finished the tournament with three eagles and 14 birdies.
“Kilmarlic is a tremendous tournament course with a little bit of everything,” Haack said. “It gets really exciting and rather stressful for a coach on the back nine with three par-5s, a drivable par-4 and trouble left and right on most every hole. Anything could happen with birdies and bogeys lurking on every swing.”
Contact:
Martin Armes, 919-608-7260, martinarmes@nc.rr.com
Brad King, 336-306-9219, king@bradkingcommunications.com
