Men's Golf Receives Top-20 Preseason Ranking; Barber No. 5 Individual - AuburnTigers.com

Men's Golf Receives Top-20 Preseason Ranking; Barber No. 5 Individual Barber is currently the 18th ranked amateur golfer in the world

Sept. 6, 2010

AUBURN - The Auburn men's golf team earned No. 18 preseason ranking from Golf World Magazine, with sophomore Blayne Barber listed as the fifth-ranked collegiate golfer in the nation.

"It's an honor to be recognized as a top-20 program heading into the start of the season," said Auburn head coach Nick Clinard. "Our goals for this season definitely extend beyond a top-20 ranking. There is a lot of excitement around the Auburn golf house right now. We have some really talented golfers fighting for a chance to debut at the Carpet Capital alongside the guys we have returning from last year."

Currently the 18th-ranked amateur golfer in the world, Barber redshirted the 2009-10 season after transferring from the University of Central Florida. The Lake City, Fla., native was named to the 2008-09 Five-Man GCAA All-Freshman team and was a three-time Conference USA Golfer-of-the-Week. In 2010, Barber earned six top-10 amateur finishes including a win at the Sawgrass Country Club sectional qualifier. Barber most recently advanced to the round-of-32 at the U.S. Amateur in Tacoma, Wash.

The Tigers return 2009-10 lettermen Kyle Kopsick, Will McCurdy, John Stembridge, David Zickler, Cory Gilmer and Jackson Bieindorf. Kopsick was named second team All-SEC while Zickler earned SEC All-Freshman honors.

McCurdy, a native of Ft. Payne, Ala., leads the Tigers' returners with a 2009-10 scoring average of 72.91 while Kopsick set new 18- and 54-hole scoring records en route to his victory at the 2009 Gary Koch Intercollegiate. Stembridge earned the first medalist honors of his collegiate career at the 2010 Bluegrass Invitational, shooting 7-under for the one-stroke win.

Also sitting out the 2009-10 season following transfer from UCF was sophomore Dominic Bozzelli. The Pittsford, N.Y., native earned medalist honors at the 2010 Eastern Am, shooting a final round 64 for the one-stroke victory.

Auburn sophomore Michael Hebert, fresh off his transfer from Florida State will look to provide additional firepower to the Tigers' roster. Hebert finished 11th in the 2009 NCAA Central Regional and helped the Seminoles to a third-place finish in the NCAA Championship by finishing 18th, individually.

Signees Niclas Carlsson, Blake Soni and Daniel Stringfellow will also compete for places on Auburn's tournament squads. Carlsson, from Enenyburg, Sweden, was the 10th-ranked collegiate recruit in the world at the time of his signing.

The Tigers' season kicks off Friday with the Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm in Dalton, Georgia.