Philadelphia, MS — The National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) will host its ninth version of the National Championship on November 15-16, 2014 at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club. 28 teams and 16 individuals from around the nation will travel to Mississippi to battle for team and individual club golf supremacy in a 36-hole event. Players will compete on Dancing Rabbit’s Azaleas and Oaks courses, two of the finest public courses in the nation, according to multiple golf publications.
The Azaleas, set up at 6,349 yards for National Championship play, was named the No. 32 Best Golf Courses “You Can Play” by Golf Magazine after evaluating over 21,000 courses around the nation on a variety of criteria. The Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate design was completed in 1997 and will challenge golfers of all skill levels. Other accolades for the Azaleas include spots on Golf & Travel’s Top 100 Modern Courses, as well as Golf Digest’s Top 10 New Upscale Public Golf Courses ranking.
The Oaks, set up at 6,395 yards for National Championship play, is the most recent addition to the Dancing Rabbit resort, with construction completed in 1999. The Oaks offers a steady dose of water and sand hazards, and will match the Azaleas in both “charm and challenge,” according to Dancing Rabbit’s official website.
It's almost time to shave your #GolfStache
“We are excited to host our most western National Championship to date at Dancing Rabbit, a course that will provide a great tournament environment," NCCGA Chairman Matt Weinberger said. “With 240 participants, we needed a facility that could accommodate all of our players. The National Championship year in and year out is the event that excites our members the most. For those that have had the opportunity to experience it in the past, they always look forward to qualifying again. And for teams that haven’t experienced it like Lafayette or Villanova, it is a great opportunity to play in our premier event.”
After an extremely successful semester in which 57 NCCGA Regional Tournaments were played in 27 regions around the nation, the spring season culminates at Dancing Rabbit, and the organization is ready to crown a new champion. The Spring 2014 National Champion, the Baylor University Club Golf Team, is ready to attempt to defend their National Championship, but will face stiff competition from a crowded field. No. 1-ranked Texas will present their top competition, after beating out Baylor and earning the Texas region automatic bid in regional play.
The top five teams in the nation boast a variety of succes stories including a team that has never played in a NCCGA National Championship (No. 1 Texas), a fairly new NCCGA team (No. 3 Florida) and a crowded field of perennial NCCGA National Championship contenders in No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 National and No. 5 Purdue.
Dancing Rabbit Golf Club - Host of Fall Nationals 2014
Anticipation is high for all teams ahead of the weekend.
“While serving as the East Carolina University club golf president, I have had opportunity to compete at NCCGA National Championship numerous times,” ECU President Faheem Amod said. “Our team was fortunate enough to win three National Championships at premier courses in a four-semester span. Knowing that I’m part of a competitive, growing organization such as NCCGA inspires me and my team to play the best golf possible and continue to represent my school at the NCCGA National Championship.”
Many of the nation’s best individual golfers play on teams that qualified for the National Championship, but 16 of those individuals that play on teams that did not qualify will have the chance to prove themselves as part of one of the biggest fields in NCCGA history (240 players).
Golfers from as far west as California (National U.), east as Boston College and north as Michigan State will all descend on Mississippi with a big prize on the line for the lowest scoring individual in the tournament - an exemption into the Southeastern Amateur.
The 86th Southeastern Amateur will take place in June 2015. NCCGA National Champion Mason Short was the first NCCGA player to compete at the historic Columbus Country Club in Columbus, GA at the 85th version of the prestigious tournament. For the first time, the NCCGA’s top individual will also get the opportunity to become an official Golfweek rater and voice their opinion on the top golf courses across the nation.
For more information on the NCCGA National Championship, visit here. For any media-related questions, please contact Chase Russell (@NCCGAPresident) or Dave Uhrmacher (@DaveUhrm).
