49ers golfers ranked 9th in poll

The Charlotte 49ers golf team, which won its season-opening tournament at the Scenic City Invitational, has moved up to a program-best #9 ranking in the Sept. 21 GolfWorld/NIKE Golf Coaches’ poll, heading into this weekend’s prestigious PING/GolfWeek Preview in West Lafayette, Ind.

The 49ers received one first-place vote in the latest poll, which is the first-ever first-place vote for the program.

The PING/GolfWeek Preview is played annually in the fall at the site of the coming spring’s NCAA Championship. Teams are extended invitations based on their performance the previous season. The 49ers, who finished third at the 2007 NCAA Championships and were ranked 10th in GolfWorld’s preseason poll, are competing in the event for the first time.

The 15-team field includes six teams in the top 10 of the latest Coaches’ Poll and 13 Top 25 teams. The other two teams, including host Purdue, are receiving votes towards the Top 25 poll.

Golfweek.com will provide live streaming of the tournament, with Lance Ringler and Jay Coffin calling the action from the 18th hole during the final round. Live scoring will be available at golfstat.com.

The 49ers lineup this weekend will include current A-10 Player of the Week Corey Nagy (Charlotte/Vance High), a sophomore who took medalist honors at last week’s Scenic City Invitational. Junior Stefan Wiedergruen (Waiblingen, Germany), who finished second at the Scenic City Invitational with a career-best -7, 206, and seniors Jonas Enander Hedin (Taby, Sweden), Trevor Murphy (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) and Andrew DiBitetto (Rochester, N.Y.) will fill out the lineup.

Enander Hedin posted the 49ers low stroke average last season. Murphy reached the round of 32 at the 2007 US Amateur and DiBitetto placed ninth at the 2007 NCAA Championships to earn honorable mention GCAA all-America honors. DiBitetto and Nagy were both among GolfWorld’s Top 50 “Players to Watch” for 2007-08.

The GolfWorld/Nike Preseason Coaches’ Poll marked the 49ers first top 10 ranking and this week’s #9 listing is the highest ever for the 49ers’ golf program.

The 49ers, who have won back-to-back Atlantic 10 Championships, have competed in the NCAA Tournament each of the past three years and advanced to the NCAA Championships each of the past two. Charlotte finished third at the NCAA Championships in 2007, matching the best-ever finish by a 49ers sports program. They finished 22nd in 2006.