Quest for a repeat title starts at Wolf Run

The men's golf team has built quite the trophy collection the past two years.

Two conference titles, a regional championship, and a spot at the 2008  National Championship later, the Knights enter 2010 with a good chance at repeating their '08 glory.

UCF's first tournament of the fall season will begin Saturday at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Ind.

Wolf Run is the location of a 2011 NCAA Regional site, which may give the Knights an early look at a possible postseason destination.

"There are a lot of elevation changes, starting with the first hole. It was certainly a challenge last year," said Head Coach Bryce Wallor.  "... I certainly think the course is going to favor a straight-ball striker."

The tournament, hosted by the University of Indiana, will pit the Knights against in-state rival North Florida, C-USA opponent Tulsa and powerhouses such as Michigan, Louisville and Penn State, among others.

After that Cinderella '08 season, coach Nick Clinard and top golfer Blayne Barber left for Auburn, and the program was left in the hands of youngsters Nuno Henriques and Brad Schneider. In what many expected to be a rebuilding year, the Knights won the 2009 C-USA Championship but couldn't advance past Regionals.

Under second-year coach Wallor, the 2010 Knights are in good position to retain their C-USA title.

Returning players Schneider, Henriques and Connor Arendell each had strong '09 campaigns. They'll get some help from new recruits Kyle Wilshire, Greg Eason, Hojin Kang and Han Kim.

Arendell, ranked No. 156 in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com world rankings, only had one top-10 finish in '09, but the junior from Cape Coral competed in the U.S. Amateur last month at Chambers Bay.

Arendell lost to Patrick Cantlay in the Sweet 16 Round.

Schneider came on strong in the second half of the season, racking up top team finishes in three of the Knights' final six events. His best finish, a runner-up trophy at the Rio Pinar Invitational, helped him earn a nod on the C-USA All-Conference Second Team.

The Knights' most consistent performer throughout the season was Nuno Henriques. Now in his final year with the Knights, Henriques will miss the opening tournament with medical issues but a long-term diagnosis is still uncertain.

With three strong candidates to compete for the No. 1 spot on the Knights, Coach Wallor knows it's too early to name one to the position.

"You can't do that in golf. The number one guy has to play his way into that position."

The incoming freshmen recruits bring amateur success of their own, capped by Wilshire's win at the Kentucky Junior Amateur Championship.

Eason, from Leicestershire, England, was a member of England's team at the European Boys' Team Championship in Turkey in July. He also finished third at the Peter McEvoy Trophy and notched a second-place finish at the Darwin Salver in England.

Kang is a Lake Mary-product that Wallor is very high on.

"He's got lots of club head speed, a very powerful strike, and he has a very mature attitude," Wallor said.