Falcons host Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Golf Tournament

Sept. 2, 2014

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational: The Air Force golf team hosts the 46th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Sept. 6-7, at the Eisenhower Golf Club - Blue Course. The 54-hole tournament is slated to begin with two rounds on Saturday, Sept. 6, with an 8:15 a.m. shotgun start, while the final round will begin Sunday, Sept. 7, with tee times at 7:30 a.m.

The Field: Sixteen teams are slated to compete in this year's tournament. They are: Air Force, Air Force JV, Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, UMKC, Utah, Utah State, UNLV, UTEP, Weber State and Wyoming.

About the Tournament: This fall, the Falcon Invitational enters its 46th season. Formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Invitational and the Pikes Peak Invitational, the event was re-named the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational in 2003, in honor of the legendary coach who headed up the Air Force program for 25 years.

Eisenhower Blue Course: The Eisenhower Golf Club - Blue Course opened in 1959 and is named after former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who took part in the dedication ceremony. The 7,401-yard, par-72 course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and was named the eighth-best college course in the nation by Golf Digest in 2005.

2013 Falcon Invitational: Last season, Air Force dominated the 2013 Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational from start to finish, winning the tournament by 12 strokes over second-place UTEP on the Blue Course at the Academy's Eisenhower Golf Club. The Falcons have won the tournament four times: the inaugural tournament in 1969, tied for the title in 2001 and won it again outright in 2005. Air Force finished the tournament last season at 15 under par with a three-round total of 849. Senior Kyle Westmoreland won the individual title with a three-round total of 204 (-12), one stroke shy of the tournament record, set by Ryan Spears of Wichita State in 2007.

Head Coach George Koury: George Koury enters his 13th season as the head coach of the Academy's golf program. Before taking over the program as head coach in 2002, Koury spent three seasons as an assistant, working with both the varsity and the junior varsity programs. A 1993 Academy graduate, Koury was a member of the Falcon golf team from 1990-1993, serving as team captain and earning MVP honors his final year. Last season, the Falcons had their second consecutive fourth-place finish at the Mountain West Championships, tying the best finish at a conference tournament in program history (1993 and 2013). Koury led his team to new heights in 2012-13, producing one of the best seasons in program history. His team won its 16th consecutive Service Academy Classic and shattered the school record for team scoring average by more than five strokes per tournament.

About the Falcons: Air Force has one of its youngest teams in recent history as the roster features two seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. The two most experienced players are senior team captain Blake Edwards, who played 17 rounds in six events last season, while sophomore Sunwoo Choi played 18 rounds in six events last season. Last season's team that won the Falcon Invitational and placed fourth at the Mountain West Championships, was led by six seniors, including Kyle Westmoreland and Phillip Colwell who both finished in the top 10 at last season's conference tournament.

Results: Live scoring will be available on Birdiefire.com. In addition, daily results will be posted online at goairforcefalcons.com, and e-mailed to each school's golf contact. Please contact Dave Toller, Assistant AD/Media Relations, with any questions/concerns about obtaining results at 719-333-3478 or dave.toller@usafa.edu.