Nov. 2, 2007

SAN MARCOS - All you have to do is look at the venue and who will be playing to know that Texas State's initial fall tournament under second-year coach Mike Akers is well on its way to becoming one of the premiere events in the country.

Texas State will play host to the inaugural Challenge at Wolfdancer Sunday and Monday at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines' Wolfdancer Golf Club. The tournament is set for a 7:45 a.m. shotgun start both days with 36 holes slated for Sunday and the final 18 holes to be played Monday.

The 13-team field includes teams from the Big 10 Conference (Illinois and Northwestern), the Big 12 (Baylor and Iowa State) and ACC (Boston College) as well as Conference USA, Sun Belt Conference and the top teams from the Southland Conference.

"I am very proud and excited to host this event," Akers said. "We started working on this over a year ago and it is very satisfying to see it all come together."

Most collegiate tournaments are held on Mondays and Tuesdays with Sunday being set aside for practice rounds but the Sunday/Monday format was appealing for participating teams.

"The most important aspect of this tournament is playing on a Sunday/Monday," Akers said. "The student/athletes will only miss one day of class. This event will grow to one of the premiere women's tournaments in the country."

The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines is located east of Austin on Texas Highway 71 near Bastrop. The course was named in honor of the traditional wolf dance of the Tonkawa Indians who once inhabited the area. Noted golf architect Arthur Hills designed Wolfdancer to take full advantage of the natural lay of the terrain which encompasses rolling prairie, a heavily wooded ridgeline and a river valley plain. Wolfdancer was voted "Top Ten New Courses you can play in 2006" by Golf Magazine and Avid Golfer Magazine's "Best Golf Experience" in 2006.

The tournament will mark Texas State's final fall event. In their last outing, the Bobcats had four golfers shoot in the 70s for the first time this week, elevating the team into a tie for a ninth-place finish at the Price's Give Em Five Intercollegiate held at New Mexico State.

Texas State also has a first-place team finish as well as a third-place finish.

Texas State fans can click HERE to follow live results from the tournament. The link is also found on the front page of the Texas State web site.