Thursday, May 19
Radford, Va.
All Day
Davidson College
vs
NCAA Regional Championship (Virginia Tech)
Richard Fountain
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Fountain to Tee Off at NCAA Regionals 10 a.m. Thursday
5/18/2011 2:57:05 PM | Men's Golf
RICHARD FOUNTAIN
Freshman - Raleigh, N.C.
Southern Conference Individual Medalist & Automatic Qualifier
No. 8 Seed
May 19-21, 2011
The Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech
Par 72 - 7658 Yards
Fountain's Tee Times*
Rd. 1: 10:00 a.m.
Rd. 2: 9:40-10:20 a.m.
Rd. 3: 9:10-9:50 a.m.
*Subject to change. Will be re-paired by score following 1st and 2nd rounds in the listed ranges.
FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME: Although Davidson golf has been represented at the NCAA national tournament, last sending an individual 38 years ago in 1973, freshman Richard Fountain is the first Davidson golfer to compete in an NCAA Regional (the format was introduced in 1989) and the first in 38 years to win Southern Conference individual medalist honors.
TO ADVANCE: 13 teams will compete in the Virginia Tech Regional, including ACC champion No. 5 Georgia Tech, No. 9 Louisiana State, No. 16 Duke and No. 18 Virginia. Fountain is one of 10 additional individual competitors that will strive to be the low individual not on one of the low five teams that will advance to the finals. The VT Regional is one of six 54-hole regional tournaments being conducted to determine the 30 qualifying teams and six individuals not on those qualifying teams who will compete in the finals May 31-June 5 at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla.
HOW HE GOT HERE: This past April at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C., Fountain became the first Davidson golfer since Rusty Boyd in 1973 to win individual medalist honors at the SoCon Tournament, thus earning the league's automatic NCAA bid. He fired a tournament-low, final-round, five-under-par 67, which included a birdie on the final hole, to win by one stroke at 207 (68-72-67), nine-under par.
BACK ON TRACK: The SoCon win was the second tournament win of his career, as he claimed the Mizuno Savannah Intercollegiate, hosted by Georgia Southern Oct. 11-12, after defeating Geogia Southern's Logan Blondell in a playoff that went five holes. Fountain's three rounds at the SoCon Championship were his first at par or lower since his final-round 66 at Georgia Southern forced the playoff (five tournaments).
LISTEN CLOSELY: Fountain and the rest of the Davidson golf team are guided by head coach Tim Straub, the 1989 ACC individual champion and a member of Wake Forest's 1986 National Championship team. Straub has extensive professional golf experience and qualified for the 1998 U.S. Open. He is slated to compete in the Nationwide Tour's The Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. June 9-12.
THE COURSE: Originally a 1999 Ault and Clark design, The River Course underwent a major reconstruction by world-renowned architect Pete Dye and re-opened in August 2005 as the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, a Dye signature layout nestled along the banks of the nation's oldest river. Pete Dye has created a masterpiece to rival many of his previous creations; the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, TPC Sawgrass and Harbour Town Golf Links. Immaculate bentgrass tees, fairways and greens, strategically-placed Dye-trademark pot bunkers and breathtaking river vistas from all 18 holes highlight this par 72 links design.
LAST TIME OUT: FLORENCE, S.C. (Apr. 19) – Fountain became the first Davidson golfer to win individual medalist honors at the Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship in 38 years and earned the league's automatic individual NCAA Regional bid by firing a final-round, five-under-par 67 to win by one stroke at 207 (68-72-67), nine-under par at the Country Club of South Carolina. Fountain, a Raleigh, N.C. native who graduated from Broughton H.S., teed off from hole No. 10 to start the day and completed the back-nine holes at two-under with four birdies and two bogeys. He then birdied the par-four fourth and fifth holes and the final, No. 9 hole to take a two-stroke lead into the clubhouse. Georgia Southern's Lewis Gruber and Logan Blondell were within striking distance on the final holes, but Blondell finished at 212 (-4) to place third, while Gruber fired a final-round 68 to finish at 208 (-8). Gruber had matched Fountain's first-round 68 and second-round 72. Fountain's 207 matched the lowest SoCon tournament score in 11 events at the Country Club of S.C.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Fountain and classmate Sam Echikson were some of the most heavily relied upon freshmen in the country. Golfstat.com ranks their impact as fifth greatest in the country with a relative strength rating of 280.975 (1000 is the max score) and stroke average of 74.22. Alabama, with three starting freshmen leads the nation in with a score of 561.815 and 71.88 stroke average, while Southern Conference foe Chattanooga is third with three starting freshmen (450.914, 73.96)
GOOD COMPANY: Fountain tied the Carolina Country Club (Raleigh, N.C.) single-round record of 59, 12-under-par on July 29, 2010, prior to arriving at Davidson. The record was first set by Webb Simpson, a former Wake Forest All-American who ranks 13th this year on the PGA money list (as of 5/10/11).
TOP 'CAT: Fountain received two prestigious Davidson Athletics awards: The Helen DeVane Carnegie Award as Davidson's most outstanding freshman athlete and the Ben Vernon MVP award as the golf team's most valuable player.
SOCON REPRESENTATION: Fountain and Wofford freshman Chandler Brazeal are the lone SoCon representatives at the Virginia Tech Regional. Brazeal, a conference all-freshman selection like Fountain, earned an at-large bid and is seeded sixth. Conference champion Georgia Southern is the 13th seed in the Florida Regional, while Chattanooga earned an at-large bid and is the No. 6 seed in the Colorado Regional.
BEFORE DAVIDSON: Fountain was a four-year letter winner in golf at Needham Broughton H.S. in Raleigh, N.C. He was named to the all-conference team as a sophomore, junior, and senior, named first team all-state by the Carolinas Golf Association in 2009 and finished 11th at the 2009 Big I National Junior Championship. Fountain was ranked No. 67 by Golfweek in the Class of 2010 and was on honor roll all four years of high school.
JUST SAYING: Boyd's 1973 SoCon title also came at the C.C. of South Carolina, and he went on to compete in the NCAA national tournament in Stillwater, Okla., where this year's national championship will be held. Boyd placed 61st in the field of 36 teams with a four-round score of 299 (71-73-72-83), while Ben Crenshaw (Texas) won his third consecutive NCAA title.
Virginia Tech Region
Teams
1. Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2. LSU
3. Duke
4. Virginia
5. Oklahoma
6. Kent State (Mid-America Conference)
7. Virginia Tech
8. Mississippi
9. East Carolina
10. North Carolina-Wilmington (Colonial Athletic Association)
11. Coastal Carolina
12. Lamar
13. Yale (The Ivy League)
Individuals
1. TJ Howe, Penn State
2. Christian Brand, Marshall
3. Jake Katz, Binghamton
4. Vaita Guillaume, Campbell
5. Adam Hoffman, Vanderbilt
6. Chandler Brazeal, Wofford
7. Matt Moot, Campbell
8. Richard Fountain, Davidson
9. Herbert Day, Xavier
10. Peter Williamson, Dartmouth
Freshman - Raleigh, N.C.
Southern Conference Individual Medalist & Automatic Qualifier
No. 8 Seed
May 19-21, 2011
The Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech
Par 72 - 7658 Yards
Fountain's Tee Times*
Rd. 1: 10:00 a.m.
Rd. 2: 9:40-10:20 a.m.
Rd. 3: 9:10-9:50 a.m.
*Subject to change. Will be re-paired by score following 1st and 2nd rounds in the listed ranges.
FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME: Although Davidson golf has been represented at the NCAA national tournament, last sending an individual 38 years ago in 1973, freshman Richard Fountain is the first Davidson golfer to compete in an NCAA Regional (the format was introduced in 1989) and the first in 38 years to win Southern Conference individual medalist honors.
TO ADVANCE: 13 teams will compete in the Virginia Tech Regional, including ACC champion No. 5 Georgia Tech, No. 9 Louisiana State, No. 16 Duke and No. 18 Virginia. Fountain is one of 10 additional individual competitors that will strive to be the low individual not on one of the low five teams that will advance to the finals. The VT Regional is one of six 54-hole regional tournaments being conducted to determine the 30 qualifying teams and six individuals not on those qualifying teams who will compete in the finals May 31-June 5 at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla.
HOW HE GOT HERE: This past April at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C., Fountain became the first Davidson golfer since Rusty Boyd in 1973 to win individual medalist honors at the SoCon Tournament, thus earning the league's automatic NCAA bid. He fired a tournament-low, final-round, five-under-par 67, which included a birdie on the final hole, to win by one stroke at 207 (68-72-67), nine-under par.
BACK ON TRACK: The SoCon win was the second tournament win of his career, as he claimed the Mizuno Savannah Intercollegiate, hosted by Georgia Southern Oct. 11-12, after defeating Geogia Southern's Logan Blondell in a playoff that went five holes. Fountain's three rounds at the SoCon Championship were his first at par or lower since his final-round 66 at Georgia Southern forced the playoff (five tournaments).
LISTEN CLOSELY: Fountain and the rest of the Davidson golf team are guided by head coach Tim Straub, the 1989 ACC individual champion and a member of Wake Forest's 1986 National Championship team. Straub has extensive professional golf experience and qualified for the 1998 U.S. Open. He is slated to compete in the Nationwide Tour's The Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, N.C. June 9-12.
THE COURSE: Originally a 1999 Ault and Clark design, The River Course underwent a major reconstruction by world-renowned architect Pete Dye and re-opened in August 2005 as the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, a Dye signature layout nestled along the banks of the nation's oldest river. Pete Dye has created a masterpiece to rival many of his previous creations; the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, TPC Sawgrass and Harbour Town Golf Links. Immaculate bentgrass tees, fairways and greens, strategically-placed Dye-trademark pot bunkers and breathtaking river vistas from all 18 holes highlight this par 72 links design.
LAST TIME OUT: FLORENCE, S.C. (Apr. 19) – Fountain became the first Davidson golfer to win individual medalist honors at the Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship in 38 years and earned the league's automatic individual NCAA Regional bid by firing a final-round, five-under-par 67 to win by one stroke at 207 (68-72-67), nine-under par at the Country Club of South Carolina. Fountain, a Raleigh, N.C. native who graduated from Broughton H.S., teed off from hole No. 10 to start the day and completed the back-nine holes at two-under with four birdies and two bogeys. He then birdied the par-four fourth and fifth holes and the final, No. 9 hole to take a two-stroke lead into the clubhouse. Georgia Southern's Lewis Gruber and Logan Blondell were within striking distance on the final holes, but Blondell finished at 212 (-4) to place third, while Gruber fired a final-round 68 to finish at 208 (-8). Gruber had matched Fountain's first-round 68 and second-round 72. Fountain's 207 matched the lowest SoCon tournament score in 11 events at the Country Club of S.C.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Fountain and classmate Sam Echikson were some of the most heavily relied upon freshmen in the country. Golfstat.com ranks their impact as fifth greatest in the country with a relative strength rating of 280.975 (1000 is the max score) and stroke average of 74.22. Alabama, with three starting freshmen leads the nation in with a score of 561.815 and 71.88 stroke average, while Southern Conference foe Chattanooga is third with three starting freshmen (450.914, 73.96)
GOOD COMPANY: Fountain tied the Carolina Country Club (Raleigh, N.C.) single-round record of 59, 12-under-par on July 29, 2010, prior to arriving at Davidson. The record was first set by Webb Simpson, a former Wake Forest All-American who ranks 13th this year on the PGA money list (as of 5/10/11).
TOP 'CAT: Fountain received two prestigious Davidson Athletics awards: The Helen DeVane Carnegie Award as Davidson's most outstanding freshman athlete and the Ben Vernon MVP award as the golf team's most valuable player.
SOCON REPRESENTATION: Fountain and Wofford freshman Chandler Brazeal are the lone SoCon representatives at the Virginia Tech Regional. Brazeal, a conference all-freshman selection like Fountain, earned an at-large bid and is seeded sixth. Conference champion Georgia Southern is the 13th seed in the Florida Regional, while Chattanooga earned an at-large bid and is the No. 6 seed in the Colorado Regional.
BEFORE DAVIDSON: Fountain was a four-year letter winner in golf at Needham Broughton H.S. in Raleigh, N.C. He was named to the all-conference team as a sophomore, junior, and senior, named first team all-state by the Carolinas Golf Association in 2009 and finished 11th at the 2009 Big I National Junior Championship. Fountain was ranked No. 67 by Golfweek in the Class of 2010 and was on honor roll all four years of high school.
JUST SAYING: Boyd's 1973 SoCon title also came at the C.C. of South Carolina, and he went on to compete in the NCAA national tournament in Stillwater, Okla., where this year's national championship will be held. Boyd placed 61st in the field of 36 teams with a four-round score of 299 (71-73-72-83), while Ben Crenshaw (Texas) won his third consecutive NCAA title.
Virginia Tech Region
Teams
1. Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2. LSU
3. Duke
4. Virginia
5. Oklahoma
6. Kent State (Mid-America Conference)
7. Virginia Tech
8. Mississippi
9. East Carolina
10. North Carolina-Wilmington (Colonial Athletic Association)
11. Coastal Carolina
12. Lamar
13. Yale (The Ivy League)
Individuals
1. TJ Howe, Penn State
2. Christian Brand, Marshall
3. Jake Katz, Binghamton
4. Vaita Guillaume, Campbell
5. Adam Hoffman, Vanderbilt
6. Chandler Brazeal, Wofford
7. Matt Moot, Campbell
8. Richard Fountain, Davidson
9. Herbert Day, Xavier
10. Peter Williamson, Dartmouth
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