CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University men's golf team will open their season at the 49th Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational hosted by the Air Force Falcons at the USAF Academy in Colorado.
This event will kick off a season for the Thunderbirds that will stretch all the way to the Big Sky Conference Championships at the end of April.
2016-17 Recap
Last season the Thunderbirds saw a lot of progress, as well as promise for the future.
Fidel Concepcion continued to lead the charge for the Thunderbirds, ending the regular season with a scoring average of 71.42. His best finish of the season came at the Bill Cullum Invitational, where he finished in second place.
A pair of freshmen had a major impact for the Thunderbirds during the 2016-17 campaign as well.
Jake Vincent averaged 74.35 per round last season, shooting a season low of 69. His best finish came at SUU's home event, finishing 13th at the Pizza Hut-Pat Hicks Invitational.
Ali Hameed also had a solid freshman campaign, averaging 75.42 shots per round. He had a season low of 68 and saw his best finish of the season come at the Big Sky Conference Championships where he finished 13th in the field.
Soaring Senior
To close out the 2016-17 campaign SUU's Concepcion qualified for NCAA Regional competition, playing among the best in the nation at Stanford Golf Course. He was only the third golfer in the history of the Thunderbird men's golf program to make it to that level.
Entering his senior season, Concepcion will look to continue building on the success he's already had. He's a two-time member of the All-Big Sky First Team, and has his name all over the Thunderbird record book.
Tournament Preview
The 49th Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational will get underway on Friday, September 8th with three rounds of golf on the docket to be played over three days at Eisenhower Golf Course. The golfers will be playing 18 holes per day with a shotgun start at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday.
The Gene Miranda Invitational was formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Invitational and the Pike Peaks Invitational, but was re-named in 2003 to honor the legendary coach Gene Miranda who led the Falcons for 25 years and is a member of the Air Force Athletics' Hall of Fame.
"This event will be a good opening test for our guys, and we'll be able to get a sense of where we're at early in the season," SUU head coach Richard Church said.
The Field: Abilene Christian, Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State, Drake, George Washington, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Southern Utah, Texas State, UNLV, Utah State, Utah Valley, UTEP, Weber State and Wyoming
Projected SUU Lineup: Fidel Concepcion, Jake Vincent, Christian Karren, Austin Jaramillo and Bradley Collet
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