Zips Open Spring Schedule at Wexford Intercollegiate

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Akron, Ohio – The Akron Zips Men's golf team opens its spring schedule at Hilton Head Island, S.C. at the 13^th-annual Wexford Intercollegiate hosted by Francis Marion on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 26-27.

The 54-hole tournament is scheduled to be played at Wexford Plantation, a par 72 Arnold Palmer signature course that measures 6,913 yards in length.

"We are really looking forward to getting this spring season underway," said head coach David Trainor. "We have worked hard these past couple of weeks, and I know our guys are looking forward to getting out and seeing what we can do on the golf course. I know there will be rust, and we will have to manage expectations as we get going, but I also know we can play conservative golf sooner rather than later. I look forward to seeing what our guys can do."

The 18-team field includes host Francis Marion, Akron, Charleston Southern, Cleveland State, Dartmouth, Davidson, Dayton, Furman, defending champion Gardner-Webb, Georgia, High Point, Memphis, Mercer, Presbyterian, Radford, TCU, USC-Aiken, and Wofford.

Akron's five-man lineup includes senior George Baylis (Ascot, England), junior Elliott Grayson (Shelby, N.C.), junior Jacob Appleby (North Canton, Ohio), sophomore Euan Gill (Scotland), and freshman Fabian Sunden (Sweden).

The Wexford Intercollegiate is scheduled to begin on Monday, Feb. 26 with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. ET with continuous play through 36 holes. Fans can follow the action via GolfStat Live Scoring.

The Zips are coming off a successful fall season led by Grayson's team-low 71.64 stroke average. Grayson delivered two Top 25 finishes including a 6-under par, 2^nd-place finish at the Firestone Invitational. In 14 rounds, Grayson fired six rounds of par or better, including a 65 (-6), and a trio of 69 (-2) scores.

Baylis follows with a 72.07 average that includes four Top 25 performances with seven rounds of par or better. Baylis finished third overall at the Mountaineer intercollegiate with a 213 (-3) effort and has carded a pair of 68's and three 69 scores this season.

Appleby and Sunden own 73.58 and 73.79 season averages, respectively, while Gill enters the spring season with a 78.4.

Last season, Akron finished fifth overall at the Wexford Intercollegiate, firing a final round 296 (+8) en route to an 891 (+27) tournament total. Baylis led the Zips' scoring, climbing 30 spots on the leaderboard with a 3-under par 69 to finish 15^th overall.

The Zips posted sub-300 stroke scores in all three rounds, finishing the initial 18-holes in first with a 297 (+9), and following with a 298 (+10) tally to end the first day with a fifth-place 595 (+19) score. The Zips fired their lowest round on the final day of competition, 296 (+8) to remain the No. 5 ranked team.

Gardner-Webb won the tournament with an 882 (+18) 54-hole score, while Winthrop earned runner-up (886, +22) and South Carolina Aiken and Radford tied for third (888, +24).

Radford's Myles Creighton won medalist honors with rounds of 71 (-1), 73 (+1), and 68 (-4) for a 4-under par 212 tournament total. Vincent Blanchette (Gardner-Webb) garnered runner-up accolades with 71-71-73 – 215 (-1) scores.

Campbell University won the 2016 event by 15 strokes, while Wofford captured the 2015 event. USCA previously won the 2014, 2006, and 2009 tournaments.

Other past winners include Elon University (2008) Georgia Southern (2013), Georgia State University (2012), Indiana University (2011), Wake Forest University (2010), University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (2007).

Zips Open Spring Schedule at Wexford Intercollegiate

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Players Mentioned

Jacob Appleby

George Baylis

Euan Gill

Elliott Grayson

Fabian Sunden

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