Feb. 21, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Tech will travel south this week to compete in the All-State Sugar Bowl Mardi Gras Classic hosted by UNO Monday and Tuesday at TPC Louisiana located in Avondale.

Head coach Jeff Parks team will feature senior Matthew Harvey, junior Cody Blankenship and sophomores Jonathan Bale, Cody Santone and Joel Thelen, the same five that competed in the Rice Intercollegiate last week in which the Bulldogs finished eighth out of 15 teams.

Bale led the Bulldogs last week, finishing ninth out of a field of 81 competitors while as a team LA Tech fired the third best overall score on the third and final round.

This week's field in New Orleans will consists of 15 teams, including three teams ranked in the Top 50 in the country and eight in the top 100.

The participating teams include 28th ranked NC State, 43rd ranked San Diego, 47th ranked Southeastern Louisiana, 53rd ranked Wichita State, 84th ranked UNO, 88th ranked UALR, 90th ranked Campbell, 94th ranked Liberty, 112th ranked Louisiana Tech, 116th ranked Louisiana-Lafayette, 167th ranked Troy, 191st ranked Austin Peay, 192nd ranked Louisiana-Monroe, 225th ranked Centenary and 249th ranked Nicholls State.

The TPC Louisiana is a par 72 course which will play 6,931 yards. It serves as the host course for the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic each year.

Monday's first day will include 36 holes with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. followed by an afternoon round. The event will wrap up Tuesday with 18 holes starting at 8 a.m.

For all the latest on the Bulldogs golf team and all of Louisiana Tech's athletic programs, log onto www.latechsports.com.