Country Club of South Carolina to host event for fifth consecutive year

FLORENCE, S.C. - The 75th Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship begins Sunday, April 17 at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C., and runs through Tuesday, April 19.

Furman is the defending champion at the event, winning its 13th SoCon men's golf title a year ago. The Paladins completed the 54-hole event 16 strokes ahead of second-place Georgia Southern at the par 72, 7,062-yard course. Furman's win ended a three-year run by Chattanooga, which won each season from 2007-09, coinciding with the first three years of play in Florence.

The Mocs enter the event as the top rated SoCon team in 2011, carrying a No. 33 national rating from Golfstat. Chattanooga is led by reigning conference Player of the Year Stephan Jaeger who has been on a recent tear with three straight top-10 finishes, including the championship at the LSU National Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.

UNCG follows Chattanooga in the national rankings, entering this weekend in the 87th spot. Appalachian State, Elon, Furman, Georgia Southern and Wofford have all won team titles during the 2010-11 season and will be joined at the tournament by College of Charleston, Davidson and Western Carolina.

The Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship has been played every season since 1933, aside from a four-year hiatus during World War II, and the event boasts past champions such as Arnold Palmer (1948-49) and Brad Faxon (1983).

The winner of the SoCon Championship will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional while the individual medalist will also earn an automatic regional qualification.

The tournament tees off at 9:00 a.m. ET Sunday morning, and fans can follow the action at http://golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2204.