Feb. 25, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's golf team travels to Ft. Worth, Texas, this Saturday (Feb. 25) to play Texas-Arlington in an 18-hole dual meet. The Match Play event will be held at the 7,300-yard, par-72 Links at WaterChase golf course, and will feature six head-to-head matchups.

"This weekend is about finding out who is playing well and who has come out of the off-season ready to compete," said head coach Mark Hankins. "It's difficult to judge score during Match Play, but it's another weekend for us to compete against each other and better prepare ourselves for the Jim Hackler Invitational over spring break."

As a team, the Spartans boast a wealth of individual Match Play experience. In the 2004 Michigan Amateur, junior Matt Harmon (Grand Rapids, Mich.) advanced to the final match as the No. 1 seed, while sophomore Ryan Brehm won three matches and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Freshman Steve Cuzzort (Grosse Ile, Mich.) and sophomore Nathan Gunthorpe (Ovid, Mich.) have enjoyed success at the Michigan Amateur as well. Cuzzort won his first-round match in 2004 as the No. 5 seed, while Gunthorpe advanced to the round of 16 last year.

Junior Mitch Pierce (Fenton, Mich.) and freshman Grant Tungate (East Lansing, Mich.) round out the Spartan lineup this week. Pierce will be making his second appearance of the season, while Tungate is coming of a career-best 30th-place finish at the Landfall Tradition (Oct. 28-29).

For complete results, visit msuspartans.com.