University of Houston Athletics
Men's Golf Opens at Northern Intercollegiate This Weekend
9/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
| NORTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE | |
|---|---|
| Lineup | Roman Robledo Blair Hamilton Kyle Pilgrim Vincent Martino Ben Arnett Michael Perras (Ind.) |
| Time | Friday, Sept. 5 • 18 holes Houston - 8 a.m. tee time off No. 10 • Arnett - 8 a.m. • Martino - 8:08 a.m. • Pilgrim - 8:16 a.m. • Hamilton - 8:24 a.m. • Robledo - 8:32 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 • 18 holes Houston - tee time TBA Sunday, Sept. 7• 18 holes Houston - tee time TBA |
| Location | Rich Harvest Farms Sugar Grove, Ill. 7,236 • Par 72 |
| Live Scoring | BirdieFire.com |
| Team Field | #15 Houston, #13 Virginia, #18 UCF, Ball State, Indiana, Lamar, Louisville, Marquette, North Texas, Ohio State, Purdue, Winthrop and host Northern Illinois |
| Social Media |   |
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. - The University of Houston Men's Golf program opens its 2014-15 season on Friday morning when it tees off at the Northern Intercollegiate at Rich Harvest Farms.
Houston, which is ranked No. 15 in the Golf Coaches Association of America's preseason poll will be part of a 13-team field, which includes Purdue, Louisville, Marquette, North Texas, UCF, Virginia, Lamar, Indiana, Ball State, Ohio State, Winthrop and host Northern Illinois.
The Northern Intercollegiate begins Friday morning on the 7,236-yard, par-72 course with 18 holes scheduled each day through Sunday. Fans can follow live scoring by visiting BirdieFire.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
For Friday's opening round, the Cougars will play in threesomes with Northern Illinois and Virginia and start off No. 10. Freshman Ben Arnett will open the season at 8 a.m., with junior Vincent Martino (8:08 a.m.), senior Kyle Pilgrim (8:16 a.m.), junior Blair Hamilton (8:24 a.m.) and senior All-American Roman Robledo (8:32 a.m.) following. Freshman Michael Perras will compete as an individual and tee off No. 1 at 8:07 a.m.
A year ago, Robledo captured his first of four individual titles in 2013-14 with a score of 5-under-par 211 at this tournament. Hamilton finished eighth with a score of even-par to help lead the Cougars to a third-place team finish.
Under the leadership of Director of Golf Jonathan Dismuke, the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001, finishing 10th at that event and among the top-10 leaders in three final national polls.
THE LINEUP
As the Cougars open their 2014-15 season, the team also welcomes a new staff member. Associate Head Coach Ryke Dismuke (no relation to Jonathan) joined the Cougars during the summer after an award-winning career at Central Arkansas.
Following workouts and qualifying rounds since the start of school, Dismuke and Dismuke compiled this weekend's starting lineup.
Robledo is no stranger to Houston Men's Golf fans during the last three seasons. The Harlingen, Texas, native won four tournaments in 2013-14, including three straight to open the spring season, and is ranked among the world's top-50 amateur golfers.
He led the Cougars a year ago with a sparkling 71.24 scoring average and 24 rounds of par or better, including 10 in the 60s.
Robledo tied for 19th at the 2014 NCAA Championships in his first appearance at that event and continued his success during the summer. He advanced to the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in August, the farthest by a Cougar since 2000.
Hamilton competed in six tournaments as a sophomore in 2013-14, tying for second at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic for the best finish of his collegiate career. Like Robledo, he recently enjoyed success at the U.S. Amateur Championship, competing in the Round of 32 at the 2013 Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Pilgrim joins Robledo as the only seniors on the team in 2014-15 after an award-winning junior campaign. A year ago, he posted a final-round 66 to win the individual title at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic for the first of his collegiate career.
He became only the 29th player in school history to shoot 66 or better in any round and just the ninth player to do so in the third round or later of any tournament.
The Colleyville, Texas, native continued to shine in the classroom as well, earning Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar honors as a business major in the Honors College.
Martino competed in seven tournaments as a sophomore in 2013-14 and earned a pair of top-20 finishes. He finished fourth at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic, thanks to a final-round 68 and added another 68 in the opening round at the Valspar Invitational at Floridian.
Arnett will make his collegiate debut at this weekend's event. He was a four-year letterman for Coach Chris Ferguson's teams at Dobie High and set the school record as a senior with a 72.63 scoring average. He became the first golfer in school history to reach the State Tournament and was a four-year recipient of the Academic Excellence Award.
Perras also will make his college debut at the Northern Intercollegiate. He was an All-State First-Team selection as a junior at Deer Park High and won the TLJT Flodder Financial Shootout at Meadowbrook Farms.
Although this will be his first season at Houston, he has family ties with the Cougars. His grandfather, Fred Marti, competed for the Cougars from 1961 to 1963 and was a member of Houston's 1962 NCAA national championship team under legendary Head Coach Dave Williams.
STAY CONNECTED
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Players Mentioned
