Site and Dates Announced for 2004 Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship
Prestigious event to be held at Mission Inn Resort Nov. 14-16 NORMAN, Okla. ? The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA), in association with Hooters of America, Inc., have announced the 2004 Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship will be held Nov. 14-16 at Mission Inn Resort at Howey-in-the Hills, Fla., and will be co-hosted by the Central Florida Sports Commission. The men's and women's tournaments will be played simultaneously with the men competing on El Campe?n and the women teeing off on Las Colinas. Invitation to the Match Play will be based on 2004 national championship finish.
"Mission Inn Resort, the Central Florida Sports Commission and the Lake County Department of Tourism are proud to host the 2004 Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship," said Chuck Kelsey, Mission Inn's director of national sales. "For the past seven years, Mission Inn Resort and the Central Florida Sports Commission have worked together to bring collegiate golf championships to Lake County and Central Florida. The field is chosen based on their finish at the national championships, so this event brings the very best men's and women's golf teams to Central Florida. We couldn't host a finer collegiate golf event."
"This premiere event allows us to build upon an already amazing track for Lake County and Mission Inn in hosting national collegiate championships dating back to 1997," said John Saboor, Executive Director of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "We anxiously await the arrival of our country?s premiere collegiate players for what will assuredly be a one of a kind event."
The courses at Mission Inn boast rare tee to green elevations of 85 feet, towering forests and sparkling, spring-fed lakes. El Campe?n, built in 1926, is one of the south's oldest golf courses. Course architect, Charles E. Clarke of Troon, Scotland, blended unusual elevation changes of more than 85 feet with features of traditional golf design. Ranked in the top 10 of Florida's 1,400-plus courses, El Campe?n is also listed in Zagat 2003 "America's Top Golf Courses" and Links Magazine "Top 100 Golf Courses." Las Colinas, designed by PGA TOUR player Gary Koch, is a recipient of the "Top Fairways" recognition by Golf for Women. The 12 year-old course offers wide-open fairways and gentle rolling hills to create an inland links design.
"We're really excited to be involved with one of the premiere events in college golf," said NGA/Hooters Tour President Robin L. Waters. "Some of the best young men's and women's golfers in the world compete in this event. Building on the success of the first two years, and with Mission Inn stepping up to be this year's host site, we have every reason to believe 2004 will be the best yet.
Hooters of America, Inc., is the franchiser and operator of over 340 Hooters restaurants in 43 states and 10 foreign countries. The first Hooters opened in 1983 in Clearwater, Fla. Hooters is well known for its brand of food and fun, featuring a casual beach-theme atmosphere, a menu that features seafood, sandwiches and Hooters' signature chicken wings.