No. 12 TCU Men's Golf To Open Links Season The Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges Tournament

J.J. Killeen

TCU, rated 12th in the Golfweek preseason poll released earlier this week, has finalized its roster for the team's season-opening tournament, the Bank of Tennessee at the Ridges. Junior J.J. Killeen, senior Adam Meyer, sophomore Colby Beckstrom, junior David Schultz and sophomore Drew Pigg will compete for the Horned Frog team, while redshirt freshman Drew Stoltz will participate as an individual.

The TCU playing roster was determined based on the results of a nine-round qualifier which finished on Tuesday afternoon. Killeen, who advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur last month, will play in the No. 1 spot this weekend and headlines an impressive list of Frogs. Killeen, the 2002 Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year, was just the third Frog ever to reach that stage of golf's most prestigious amateur tournament. The Lubbock product has helped the Frogs to the last two of their three consecutive league titles.

Meyer, an honorable mention All-American in 2002, was a first-team All-Conference USA pick in 2003 and claimed an individual tournament title for TCU at the Waikoloa Intercollegiate last spring. Meyer was touted as a preseason third-team All-American this year, according to Golfweek college writer Ron Balicki.

The 2003 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Beckstrom put together one of the finest rookie seasons in TCU history. Beckstrom enjoyed an outstanding summer, winning the Michigan Amateur and qualifying for a Canadian Tour Event in which he was paired with 13-year-old phenom Michelle Wie.

Schultz, an honorable mention All-American and first-team all-league selection in 2003, tied for first place at last year's Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate and also earned medalist honors at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in April. Schultz finished the 2002-03 season rated in the nation's top 50 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

Pigg, who hails from Plano, appeared in three tournaments as a true freshman last season. A two-time American Junior Golf Association All-American, he advanced to the U.S. Amateur stroke play competition this summer. Stoltz will make his Horned Frog debut in the event after sitting out as a true freshman in 2002-03. Stoltz was the 2002 Colorado High School Player of the Year.

"We're looking forward to the season," TCU head coach Bill Montigel said. "We have a lot of experienced players returning, but it is going to be awfully hard to replace a guy like Adam Rubinson. Hopefully, we'll have a few guys step up and contribute this season and continue our tradition."

The 2003 Bank of Tennessee Tournament will be played Sept. 13-14 at the Ridges Golf and Country Club in Johnson City, Tenn. TCU, which took third place at last year's event, claimed the tournament title in 2000 and 2001. Frog golfers, Steve Shuert in 2001 and David Schultz in 2002, have won individual titles in the last two events at the Ridges.

Of the top 30 teams in the 2003-04 Golfweek preseason poll, 15 will be playing at the 18-team tournament this weekend. In addition to No. 12 TCU, the field includes: No. 1 Clemson, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Georgia, No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 13 North Carolina, No. 16 Southern California, No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 21 Auburn, No. 22 East Tennessee State, No. 23 South Carolina, No. 25 Tennessee, No. 26 Oklahoma, No. 27 Tulsa, No. 29 Illinois, Alabama, Kansas and Virginia Tech.

"This is one of the favorite tournaments we go to all year," Montigel said. "The guys on the golf team absolutely look forward to it. The course is always in great shape, the greens are in perfect condition and the people and the hospitality in Johnson City are second to none. I really don't know what else I can say - it's just an awesome, awesome tournament."