By Tom Myrick- myrick_te@mercer.edu

MACON, Ga. - Partnering for the third straight year with the Brickyard at Riverside, Mercer will host the third annual Brickyard Collegiate Golf Championship on October 9-12, 2009. A total of 15 teams will compete in the three-day, 54-hole event, held on a par-72, 7,128-yard course designed by former PGA tour pro Mark McCumber.

In addition to hosts Mercer, this year’s Brickyard Collegiate field includes two-time winners and defending champions Georgia, I-75 rivals Georgia Tech, Augusta State, Chattanooga, Charlotte, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi, UNF, Penn State, Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia Tech.

“In only the third year of the event, the Brickyard Collegiate has ascended to one of the tournaments to win,” Mercer head coach Andrew Tredway said. “[Georgia Tech’s] Cameron Tringale’s win in 2008 propelled him to the watch list for the Hogan Award (given to the year’s best player) as well as contributed to University of Georgia’s current consensus No.1 ranking. We are excited about this year’s field and the addition of SEC schools like LSU and Ole Miss, and we believe this will be another outstanding event.”

In a tightly-contested final round last season, Georgia retained its tournament crown after posting a team score of 282 (-6) in the tournament’s final round. The excellent final round by the Bulldogs broke a three-way tie heading into the last day, as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Clemson all had legitimate shots to claim the trophy in heading into the final 18 holes.

Likewise, the individual title came down to the wire as well, Tringale besting Virginia Tech’s Drew Weaver by just a single stroke. Tringale carded a three-under 69 in the final round to earn his first Brickyard crown.  

The 2009 edition promises to be every bit as competitive, as every single participating school currently ranks in the nation’s top 100 teams. This year’s Brickyard Collegiate will feature no fewer than two of the NCAA’s top five teams and six of the country’s top 25 teams, as Georgia (No.1), Clemson (No. 4), Georgia Tech (No. 12), LSU (No. 18), Ole Miss (21), and Florida State (No. 25) all currently rank among the nation’s finest programs.

“The field for this year's Brickyard is even more impressive than the first two years, and that is saying a lot because I didn't think it could get any better, but it has,” Mercer athletic director Bobby Pope said. “The nation's top programs are realizing that the Brickyard is THE fall college tournament to be in.”