Las Vegas, NV - Golfers from across the country will make their way to the Paiute Golf Resort for the 15th NCCGA Nationals on December 1st-3rd, 2017. This year's Nationals will have a slightly different structure as there will be both a National Championship and the inaugural National Invitational tournament. In total, 344 students from 60+ teams will come to compete, making it the largest collegiate golf tournament in the country.
“This championship will boast the strongest ranked field in NCCGA history. The introduction of the National Invitational will give more teams the opportunity to compete and provide more than 340 college students a chance to travel to Vegas and compete on a national scale," Matt Weinberger, NCCGA Commissioner.
This will be the first NCCGA tournament hosted in the state of Nevada. All rounds for the National Championship will be played on Paiute Golf Resort's top Snow Mountain and Wolf courses while NIT rounds be played on the Sun Mountain course. These courses play host to numerous state and regional championships each year and are ranked as some of the best courses you can play in Nevada.
"I'm excited to bring our players to Las Vegas for the 2017 Fall Championship. Vegas was a big step for the NCCGA given this is the farthest west we have ever gone for a championship, but excitement of the location is worth the extra travel"- Kris Hart, Nextgengolf CEO.
Corresponding numbers reflect a team's end of up season national ranking.
Players will be arriving throughout the week leading up Nationals play. Many teams will playing practice rounds on Friday afternoon to scout out the courses. The official Nationals festivities will kick off that night with the inaugural NCCGA Careers in Golf Networking Event.
Kris Hart went on to explain, "As Nextgengolf's tagline states, 'Live Life. Play Golf'. The creation of the Careers in Golf Networking event on Friday night at the Fall 2017 Championship demonstrates firsthand how the NCCGA is working hard to help our players off the course just as much as on the course. The goal of this event is to help students understand available careers opportunities within the golf industry and have the opportunity to interview for internships and full time positions with some of the best companies in golf."
Georgia enters the National Championship as the defending champions, as the Bulldogs won by 2 strokes at Hot Springs Country Club last spring. UGA looks to become the first team ever to win back-to-back-to-back National Championships. Georgia will have a tough test ahead of them with the strongest championship field in NCCGA history. Arizona State comes in as the field favorite. The Sun Devils, who won both of their regional tournaments this semester, are ranked #1 in the country by a fairly significant margin. Given that ASU won't have a difficult travel schedule and will be playing on a similar-style golf course that they're used to, they seemingly have everything going for them. Will they live up to the hype? That remains to be seen.
“We take the weight of having the number #1 ranked team in the Nation seriously. We know that we’re prepared and ready to compete for a National Title”, said ASU club president Teig Hauer. "Having the best scoring average in the Nation and being the top team often comes with a certain 'target on your back'. "
Arizona State also has the potential to bring home the NIT title as their B-team is the favorite for the Invitational. However, similar the Championship, there is a lot of strong competition in the field. Teams such as Maryland, Pittsburgh, Baylor (B-team), GAA-Myrtle Beach (placed 2nd at the Fall 2016 Nationals) all have prior experience on the Nationals stage and will be looking to upset the Sun Devils in the desert. The winner of the NIT will have an automatic bid to the spring 2018 National Championship.
Corresponding numbers reflect a team's end of up season national ranking.
Nationals play will commence on Saturday, December 2nd on all three courses between 9-10am. Following first round play, participants will join up at the driving range / putting green for the Tournament Partner's Party. PGA Tour pro Smylie Kaufman will be a special guest and will be hosting a putting competition with the players. Not only will the winner of this contest take Nationals Putting Champion honors, but will also win a signed Smylie Kaufman tour bag.
The second round of play will again kick-off between 9-10am. Once all players have finished and scores have been properly recorded, post-round ceremonies will begin. Both National Championship and National Invitational awards and trophies will be given out. We wish all participating teams good luck and look forward to a historic Nationals. For questions about the tournament please contact us by email champ@nccga.org.
STUDENT LEADER PICKS Ft. SMYLIE KAUFMAN
