Men's Golf 4/19/2013 4:51:00 PM

MEN’S GOLF LOOKS TO CONTINUE HOT PLAY AT BSC CHAMPIONSHIP

NINETY SIX, S.C. – Coming off its fifth top-5 showing of the season, Radford turns its attention to the 2013 Big South Men's Golf Championship held at The Patriot Club at Grand Harbor. The three-day, 54-hole event gets underway Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

Ranked 142nd in the latest Golfstat rankings, the Highlanders enter the championship as the No. 4 seed. In addition to RU carrying a 293.8 scoring average, the Highlanders are 20-6 against Big South competition this season.

At the top of the order for Radford is Weston Eklund, who has a 71.8 scoring average and is ranked 230th nationally. The Charlottesville, Va. native has three top-5 finishes and has shot par or better in 13 of his 24 rounds.

Callum Tarren is second on the team with a 73.1 scoring average. The junior has two top-5 showings, including a runner-up performance at the Joe Agee Invitational where he shot a 6-under-par 207. Of his 24 rounds, eight have been par or better.

Coming off his career-best performance at the Coca-Cola Invitational, Tanner Carbaugh averages 74.2 strokes per round. The sophomore carded a 2-under-par 214 to tie for ninth earlier this week. In posting his first career top-10, the Eggleston, Va. native led the Highlanders to a third-place finish.

Matt Harman ranks fourth on the team with a 75.7 scoring average. His game is peaking at the right time too as the junior tied his career-best, 54-hole total of 5-over-par 221 at the Coca-Cola Invitational. Harman charted three rounds of par or lower this season.

Conner Hayden has had a sensational first year as a member of the men's golf program. The Chilhowie, Va. native has fired six rounds of par or better this season. His season-best finish came at the Bash at the Beach where he tied for seventh at 1-under-par 212. His ledger helped Radford capture its first championship in over five years.

39th-ranked Liberty is the top seed at the 54-hole event, which will be contested on a par 72, 7,120-yard layout. The Flames are the two-time defending champions, winning by 10 strokes over Coastal Carolina last year and 31 strokes over Gardner-Webb in 2011.

For Sunday's opening round, No. 4 seed Radford is paired with golfers from No. 5 seed Gardner-Webb and No. 6 seed Campbell. The trio will go off the first hole beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The 12 league squads will play a practice round at The Patriot Club on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m. The winner of the conference championship will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Golf Regionals, May 16-18, at six select locations around the country.

Following the conclusion of the final round, the Big South Conference will announce its annual award winners (all-conference, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year) at a special awards ceremony.

Big South Men's Golf Championship Schedule

Saturday, April 20
Practice Round – 11:30 a.m.

Sunday, April 21
First Round Action
No. 4 Radford, No. 5 Gardner-Webb, No. 6 Campbell (No. 1 hole) – 8:30 – 9:10 a.m.
No. 9 Presbyterian College, No. 10 Longwood (No. 10 hole) – 8:50 – 9:30 a.m.
No. 1 Liberty, No. 2 Coastal Carolina, No. 3 Winthrop (No. 1 hole) – 9:20 – 10 a.m.
No. 7 Charleston Southern, No. 8 High Point (No. 10 hole) – 9:40 – 10:20 a.m.

Monday, April 22
Second Round Action
Pairings to be determined following completion of first round – 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, April 23
Final Round Action
Pairings to be determined following completion of second round – 8:30 a.m.

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