Golfers open season with Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
9/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
The Air Force golf team kicks off its 2016 fall campaign this weekend, when it hosts the 48th-annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Academy's Eisenhower Golf Club. The 54-hole tournament, which begins with two rounds on Saturday, Sept. 10 will be held on the club's Blue Course.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
The 54-hole Falcon Invitational will be played over two days. Golfers will play 36 holes in a shotgun start, beginning at 8:15 a.m. (MT), on Saturday, Sept. 10. Pairings and tee times for the final 18-hole round, which will begin at 7:30 a.m., on Sunday, Sept. 11, will be determined by team scores (four lowest individual scores) at the end of the first day. Live scoring will be available at GolfStatResults.com.
A LOOK AT THE FIELD
Sixteen teams are slated to compete in this year's tournament, including Abilene Christian, Air Force, Air Force (silver), Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, UMKC, UNLV, Utah State, UTEP, Weber State, Wyoming and William & Mary.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
The Falcon Invitational is in its 48th 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 to honor the legendary coach who headed up the Air Force program for 25 years.
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2015 FALCON INVITATIONAL
Colorado State rallied from behind to win the 47th Annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational with a team score of 849 (15-under par), finishing three shots ahead of Colorado. Wyoming finished third with a team score of 863 (1-under par). Colorado golfer Philip Juel-Berg finished first in the individual scores with a score of 204, 69/67/68 (12-under par). Air Force finished the tournament in 11th place with a score of 881 (17-over par). Air Force's leading golfer was Sutton Farmer who finished 18th overall with a score of 217 73/72/72 (1-over par).
LEADING THE WAY
George Koury is in his 15th season as the head coach at Air Force. Before taking over in 2002, Koury spent three seasons as an assistant coach. A 1993 Academy graduate, Koury competed on the golf team from 1990-93, serving as team captain and earning MVP honors as a senior. Koury is assisted by Tyler Goulding, a 2007 Academy graduate, who was a two-year team captain and three-time MVP. He is in his first season with the Falcons after spending three seasons as an assistant at the University of Southern California.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
Seniors Troy Berglund, Brenden Bone and Sunwoo Choi lead the Falcons this season. Choi has earned the team's MVP honor the last two seasons. He posted a team-best 73.8 and was the Falcons' top finisher in five tournaments -- including four of the six spring events. He was Air Force's top finisher at the MW Championships (22nd tie) and posted the team's lowest round of the year (66) at the Cowboy Classic. Of the eight players who played more than 15 rounds last season, the Falcons return seven this season.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Air Force senior Brendan Bone's twin brother, Alec, is a senior on the Colorado State golf team. The pair from Boulder Creek High School in Phoenix, Ariz., both earned all-state honors in leading their team to the league title 2009-12. Brenden is the Falcons' team captain this season. He played 33 rounds last season and his 73.9 stroke average was the second-best among Falcons who played more than nine rounds.
