May 13, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Samford head golf coach Woodie Eubanks won the Greystone Invitational Sunday, May 12, earning an all-expense paid trip to the Rice Planters Amateur Golf Tournament in South Carolina in July. The Bulldog head coach shot three even rounds of 71 to finish the tournament at an even par, taking the top spot in both the mid-amateur division and the entire Invitational.

"I won the mid-am last year, but this year I won both which was neat," Eubanks said. "It is a great opportunity to go play in the Rice Planters in South Carolina in July."

The Greystone Invitational is considered one of the four majors in amateur golf. The five-day event includes three-rounds of 18 holes of golf at the par-71, Legacy Course at the Greystone Golf and Country Club.

In the second round of the tournament, Eubanks got a hole-in-one on the 13th hole.

"His hole-in-one was certainly one of the highlights of the tournament...and I saw it firsthand," said Otis Ranson, who played the second round with Eubanks.

Eubanks now awaits his trip to Mt. Pleasant, S.C., July 1-5, for the Rice Planters Amateur Golf Tournament. This year marks the 36th installment of the tournament. The event is a four-day invitational at Snee Farm Country Club in Mt. Pleasant. The club has hosted many great amateur players over the years including Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Hal Sutton, Stewart Cink, Andy Bean and Scott Hoch.

The event supports local charities through donations from tournament proceeds. Since 2000, over $30,000 in donations has provided charitable organizations opportunities to support people in need within close proximity to Snee Farm Country Club. Previous recipients include East Cooper Meals on Wheels, the Wando High School Golf Team, and MUSC. As the prestige of the Rice Planters Amateur Golf Tournament grows locally, nationally, and internationally, so does its involvement within the community.

Eubanks is in his fifth year as head coach at Samford. For the past four years, he was head coach of the men's program and took over both programs at the beginning of the 2007 fall season. In his second season as head coach, Eubanks led the Bulldogs to the 2005 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Golf Championship, and the team advanced to its first ever NCAA Regional Championship competition.