For the first time in the 2008 season, the University of Texas men's golf team will be playing on their home course at the University of Texas Golf Club.
The 42nd annual Morris Williams Intercollegiate will be held at the UT Golf Club for the first time after being held at Austin Country Club for the last nine seasons. The first 36 holes of the 54-hole event begin today at 8:30 a.m.
UNLV, the 16th-ranked golf program in the nation, will defend the Morris Williams Intercollegiate title against 15 participating teams. Of the 16 teams, seven are ranked in the top 25, according to Golfweek and Golf 4 World/Nike coach's poll.
The 45th-ranked Longhorns are coming off a disappointing finish at the U.S. Intercollegiate Championship, where they finished in second-to-last place.
The 'Horns will be starting eight athletes, six of whom are underclassmen. Freshman Chris Causey, sophomore Austin Traweek and senior Kevin Schultz will be taking part in their first collegiate competition of the 2008 season.
The Morris Williams Intercollegiate is held every year in memory of former University of Texas golf star Morris Williams Jr., who died in a plane crash while serving in the Air Force in 1953. Williams, who was born and raised in Austin, became the city's youngest junior champion at age 13 and dominated the local golf scene for the next several years. As a student at the University of Texas from 1947 to 1950, he led Texas to Southwest Conference championships in 1947, 1948 and 1950. In his final competition, Williams earned runner-up honors and carried the Longhorns to a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championship in 1950.
After graduating from the University of Texas, Williams joined the Air Force, where he was undefeated in service golf competitions. Soon after his victory in the Worldwide Air Force Championship, Williams was killed.
The local Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course was named in his honor. Previous medalists at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate include Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Brad Elder, Bob Estes, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson and Payne Stewart.
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