MAC Championships: Zips Golf Travels to Club Walden in Aurora, Ohio for League Finale

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MAC Championship Tournament Central

AKRON – The Akron Zips men's golf team is set to play the 2019 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championships just 45 minutes away from campus in Aurora, Ohio at Club Walden Golf Club on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 26-28.

" This is the biggest event of the year, and we have prepared well. We have played well this year," head coach David Trainor said. " Our conference is very strong top to bottom and our best golf is ahead of us. I am looking forward to see what our guys can do this weekend at Club Walden."

Kent State hosts this year's championship event, which is set for four rounds (72 holes) over three days at the par-72, 7,202-yard Club Walden course. The Zips will play 36 holes on Friday, and take the course starting at 8:30 a.m. ET from the 10th tee and again at approximately 1 p.m. ET from the same location. The third and fourth rounds are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. split tee starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Fans can follow all the action live via GolfStat Live Scoring.

Akron makes its 27th appearance at the MAC Championships, and the Zips have placed in the Top 5 10 times, including two program-best second place finishes in 2007 and 2014. Akron finished Fourth overall last season.

The 2019 MAC Championships lineup for the Zips includes senior Elliott Grayson (Shelby, N.C.), Baylis, junior Mitchell McFarland (Wheelersburg, Ohio), redshirt freshmen Beau Bayerl (Ashland, Ohio), freshman Ignacio Puente (Seville, Spain) and sophomore Fabian Sunden (Sweden).

Grayson leads the squad into battle after posting a team-best 72.84 stroke average through nine events and 25 rounds this season. He has led the Zips' scoring efforts in six events and will be making his final appearance at the MAC Championships. In his MAC Championship debut, Grayson finished 20th overall with a 300 (+16) 72-hole performance, followed with a 13th place finish 297 (+9) effort as a sophomore and placed 20th last season (+22, 310). Grayson is scheduled to tee off at 9:26 a.m. from hole No. 10.

McFarland enters his second MAC Championship event as Akron's No. 2 golfer, teeing off at 9:10 a.m. He led Akron's scoring in three events this season while posting a 75.12 stroke average in 25 rounds.

The remaining three starters will be making their MAC Championships debut. Bayerl is scheduled to tee-off at 9:02 a.m. from hole No. 10 as Akron's number three man. He ranks third in scoring for the Zips with a 76.43 stroke average and led Akron's scoring twice this season, including the last time out which he was awarded MAC Golfer of the Week.

Puente and Sunden round out the starting five. Puente posted a 75.50 stroke average through eight events and 22 rounds, while Sunden earned a 76.00 stroke average in seven events and 19 rounds played. Puente begins his first MAC Championship event at 8:46 a.m., following Sunden's 8:30 a.m. tee time from the 10^th tee box.

New for 2019 in the MAC Championships is a recently adopted rule change by the NCAA and a good number of conferences which allows substitutions during championship events. The rule allows coaches to swap players in and out of their lineups between rounds if they choose.

Akron redshirt sophomore Kaleb Smith (Mansfield, Ohio) is tabbed as the Zips' substitute. He played in four events this season for the blue and gold, totaling 12 rounds for a 79.33 stroke average.

For more information on this year's MAC Championship event, visit the official MAC Championship Tournament Central page at getsomemaction.com.

2019 MAC Men's Golf Championships
Club Walden (Aurora, Ohio)
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,202

Schedule
Friday, April 26 – 8:30 a.m. split tee start (36 holes)
Saturday, April 27 – 8:30 a.m. split tee start
Sunday, April 28 – 8:30 a.m. split tee start

Golfstat Rankings
Kent State (89), Eastern Michigan (109), Ball State (138), Miami (139), Northern Illinois (140), Bowling Green (163), Toledo (169), Akron (196), Ohio (197)

Zips Starting Lineup – (Starting Time, Location)
1. Elliott Grayson (Sr.) - (9:26, Hole 10)
2. Mitchell McFarland (Jr.) - (9:10, Hole 10)
3. Beau Bayerl (r-Fr.) - (9:02, Hole 10)
4. Ignacio Puente (Fr.) - (8:46, Hole 10)
5. Fabian Sunden (So.) - (8:30, Hole 10)
Sub: Kaleb Smith (r-So.)

MAC Championships Facts

In 2016, George Baylis (Ascot, England) became the first Akron men's golfer in program history to win medalist honors at the Mid-American Conference Championship. Baylis carded a 4-under par 67 final round score en route to a 1-under par 283 stroke tournament win at the par 71, 6,712-yard Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Kent State is looking for its fourth straight MAC championship. For two straight seasons, the Golden Flashes defended their title and Ball State was the runner-up (2017 and 2018).

This year's field features the one previous MAC individual champion winner -- Kent State's Gisli Sveinberggson (2017).

The MAC Men's Golf Championships date back to 1947. The team and individual winners of the MAC Championships earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championships.

MAC Championships: Zips Golf Travels to Club Walden in Aurora, Ohio for League Finale

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Players Mentioned

Beau Bayerl

George Baylis

Elliott Grayson

Elliott Grayson

Mitchell McFarland

Mitchell McFarland

Ignacio Puente

Kaleb Smith

Fabian Sunden

The University of Akron Athletics