Tournament Moves to Ralston Creek Course on Daniel Island, S.C.

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. - The 76th Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship begins Sunday, April 15 at the Ralston Creek Course on Daniel Island, S.C., and runs through Tuesday, April 17.

The tournament has moved to a new home this year with Ralston Creek hosting the event for the first time. The 7,446-yard course was designed by Rees Jones and has hosted events such as the 2011 Nationwide Tour Championship last fall.

Georgia Southern is the defending champion at the event, as the Eagles claimed their third SoCon tournament title a year ago in Florence, S.C. Led by Lewis Gruber's eight-under par, second-place finish, GSU claimed a five-stroke victory over UNCG.

Chattanooga, which won three consecutive titles from 2007-09 and finished third a year ago, enters the event as the top rated team in the league, according to Golfstat. The 34th-ranked Mocs are led by senior Stephan Jaeger, the 2010 and 2011 SoCon Player of the Year, who leads the league this year as well with a top 50 ranking.

Georgia Southern follows in the national rankings, coming in at 84, while College of Charleston, rated 95th, is also included in the national top 100.

Appalachian State, Furman and Samford have all won team titles during the 2011-12 season and will be joined at the tournament by Davidson, Elon, UNCG 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 8:00 a.m. ET Sunday morning, and fans can follow the action at http://golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=2747.