MVC Player of the Week - Dave Perkins goes back to back!
Dave Perkins shot a career low 216 (76-71-69) at South Alabama's Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate on February 12 & 13. His three round total of even par placed him 12th individually in a field of 80 and led the Redbirds to a 4th place finish out of 16 teams. He was recognized as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season and the second time in his career. This was the 5th time this season a Redbird has been recognized with this honor!
Dave Perkins did not waste anytime getting back into the spotlight as he was named MVC Player of the Week in back-to-back tournaments because of this play at the Seminole Intercollegiate hosted by Florida State on February 24 & 25. He placed 11th out of 75 golfers and improved on his previous personal best from the week before with a three round total of 214, -2 (69-73-72). He and Zach Burry both have been recognized by the Conference twice this year, and the Redbirds have claimed the MVC Player of the Week six times!
Mobile Sport Authority Intercollegiate
We picked up right were we left off in the fall with a solid spring debut at the South Alabama's Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate (Feb. 12-13) at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, AL. The Redbirds finished 4th of 16 teams with rounds of 299-286-282 (+3) and picked up quality wins over Kennesaw State and Notre Dame, ranked 46th & 51st in the country respectively. Our win-loss record for the event was 12-3, so we have gone 42-7 in our past four tournaments. Four of our players finished inside the top 20 among the field of 80 competitors.
Seminole Intercollegiate
The Redbirds shot 290-290-292, +8, to finish 6th of 14 teams at Florida State's Seminole Intercollegiate (Feb. 24-25). Trent Wallace and Dave Perkins were catalysts for us on the 36 hole first day posting a combined 6 under par total, and and overall, the guys battled and never let up. Steady rains in the final round, which at times were torrential, made scoring more challenging and certainly impacted the field. We were the hottest team on the course early and making a move with an under par total on the front nine, and that was very encouraging and further reinforcement of what this squad is capable of. David Rauer's final round of 69 was huge for us, and it was great to see Dave Perkins get alot out of his round and secure an 11th place finish in the 75 player field when he didn't have his best stuff.
Productive Month of February
Overall, we can take a number of positives from Florida State and the previous tournament at South Alabama, and I believe we have accomplished our goals for this stretch of the season. Most, if not all, of the teams we've competed against are from warmer climates practicing outdoors, so I feel like we held our own in picking up 20 wins vs just 8 losses. Counting 4 scores for our team total, we were just 11 over par over the 6 rounds. We'll be able to practice more consistently on grass going forward, and I am confident we'll tighten a few things up and be firing on all cylinders soon.
How We Stack Up in the Valley
National Rankings as of February 28, 2018
Top 100
Illinois State University, 92
100-200
Southern Illinois University, 125
Missouri State University, 159
Bradley University, 181
200+
Drake University, 206
University of Northern Iowa, 257
University of Evansville, 260
Loyola University Chicago, 273
Valparaiso University, 274
While we don't have a conference scoreboard, the Redbirds have created some separation and sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference based on the national rankings. This is the first time we have been ranked inside the top 100 this deep into the season in a few decades. To put it in perspective, here are the rankings of a few schools from the Big 10 Conference: Michigan (75), Ohio State (78), Wisconsin (95), Indiana (104), Rutgers (138), & Nebraska (179).
Redbird Golf Fundraiser
SAVE THE DATE! - August 23rd & 24th
The 2018 edition of The Players will be August 23rd & 24th, and we would love to have you join us as a participant and/or sponsor! We'll kick things off on Thursday, 8/23, with the Players party inside the Hancock Stadium Club, and on Friday, 8/24, we'll have a brief clinic before playing our shambles event at the Weibring Golf Club. We would love for all alums to make this an annual reunion trip to campus, and if it has been awhile since you have been back, make it a point to join us this year! Proceeds from the event directly support Redbird Golf.
Community Service at the Midwest Food Bank
Work Hard, Play Hard
The men's golf team returned to the Midwest Food Bank in early March to volunteer their time and hopefully make a small difference in our community. This partnership allows us to live out a key principle (selfless service) inside one of our 5 program pillars (LDRSHIP). We helped sort and package 1,000 pounds of granola and 700 pounds of cheese crackers. In keeping with D.A. Weibring's philosophy of "you give before you get," we look forward to continuing our partnerships with the Midwest Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and the Jesus R&R House, and we have set a date for our second annual Redbird Golf Junior Clinic in late August of 2018. Last year's inaugural free event attracted 80 junior golfers to the Jim & Carole Mounier Golf Training Center.
Upcoming events
Bob Sitton Invitational at TPC Las Colinas over Spring Break
We are excited to return to the Dallas area over our spring break and compete at Lord Byron's place, TPC Las Colinas, which was renovated by D.A. Weibring and has been an annual stop on the PGA Tour. Thanks to alums Jerry Diamond and D.A. Weibring, we also have the privilege of playing Dallas National Golf Club, TPC at Craig Ranch, and Gentle Creek Golf Club on the days surrounding the tournament making this an outstanding trip for the Redbirds and one we'll always remember!
D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate
17 teams, including top 100 teams Duke from the ACC & Wisconsin from the Big 10, will participate in the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate on March 31st & April 1st. We'll play 36 holes on Saturday and finish up with 18 holes on Sunday morning. If you are in town, come out and support the Birds one or both days as our 6th man!
