CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's golf team will open up their Spring Season this week, as they play host to the 2020 Pizza Hut-Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George.
Fall Recap
The Thunderbirds were able to do some solid things in the Fall, as they competed in four tournaments.
Jake Vincent claimed his third career tournament victory at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and was named Big Sky Men's Golfer of the Week twice during the two months of competition.
Vincent is the reigning Big Sky Conference champion, claiming the league's individual title last season and qualifying for NCAA Regional competition.
SUU's best team finish of the Fall came at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, where they finished in ninth place.
Big Sky Predictions
The Big Sky Conference has announced the results of their 2020 Men's Golf Preseason Coaches Poll, where the Thunderbirds have been tabbed as the fifth best team in the league.
Sacramento State was selected as the best team in the league heading into the Spring Season.
Tournament Preview - 2020 Pizza Hut- Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational
The 2020 rendition of the Pizza Hut-Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational will be a two-day, two-round event played on the Pointe and Blackrock nine-hole courses at Sunbrook Golf Club.
The course plays par-72 and measures in at just over 6,900 yards. There will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. on both days depending on the weather.
Competing Teams: Air Force, Creighton, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Seattle, Southern Utah, Stetson, Utah State, Utah Valley, Weber State, Western Illinois & Youngstown State
Individuals: Brigham Young & Utah
The event is named after Pat Hicks, who made a very big impact on the SUU golf program during head coach Richard Church's early years. "Pat Hicks was the aunt of one of my first players, Zach Johnson," Church said. "Pat was a very strong supporter and fan of the golf team who passed away rather young in life. She was a very successful business woman who, among other things, owned her own company and at one point was a senior executive for Zions Bank."
Last Season @ Sunbrook
When the Thunderbirds teed it up at Sunbrook last season, it was a milestone tournament for Vincent, as he claimed his first individual title.
Vincent shot 70 on the first day, and followed that up with a four-under 68 on the second to shoot 138. That put him in a tie with Cooper Sears from Middle Tennessee State. No playoff was held, giving both players the title of individual champion.
Ali Hameed was second for SUU, finishing in a tie for fifth on the leaderboard shooting a 142 (72, 70). Hayden Plewe had a solid second day for SUU, carding a 71 to finish at 147 (76, 71).
To round out SUU's lineup, Ethan Gray shot a 154 (75, 79) and Ryker Smith shot a 156 (78, 78).
SUU finished in fourth place as a team that day.
Words From Coach Church
"We did some good things in the Fall, but I'm hoping we can have some better showings as we get things going here in the Spring," Church said. "It's a big positive to start things off with our home tournament, and we're looking forward to seeing what the guys look like coming off the break."
Follow Us
Stats for the event will be available on www.golfstat.com following the completion of each round.
Stay current on all things SUU Golf by following @SUUGolf on Twitter and Instagram, and by liking the Southern Utah Golf page on Facebook.
Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
