June 15, 2004

KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island had five players selected to the 15-member PING All-New England Region Team and head coach Tom Drennan, who led the Rams to a berth in the NCAA National Championships, was named New England Coach of the Year for the eighth-straight time, in voting conducted by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Junior Kenneth Fahey (Clifden, Ireland), junior Chad Spencer (North Kingstown, R.I.), freshman Ben Spitz (Norwell, Mass.), senior David Spitz (Norwell, Mass.) and senior Ben Tuthill (East Providence, R.I.) all earned All-New England honors.

David Spitz is making his third-straight appearance on the All-New England team, while Fahey and Spencer both earn the honor for the second time.

Drennan earned his eighth-straight New England Coach of the Year honor and ninth overall. He guided the Rams to their seventh-straight New England Division I Championship, 13th-straight NCAA East Regional appearance and fourth Atlantic 10 title in the last six years. The highlight of the year was an eighth-place finish at the NCAA East Regional, which made the Rams the first team from the Northeast Region ever to advance out of a Regional to the NCAA National Championships since the regional format was adopted in 1988. It was Rhode Island's third trip to the NCAA National Championships, but first since 1967.

David Spitz led the Rams with a 73.9 stroke average and finished in a tie for first at the Atlantic 10 Championship, losing out on the individual title on a playoff hole. He earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors for the second time with his second-straight top five finish in the A-10 Championship. Spitz took 31st at the NCAA East Regional with a 4-over 219.

Fahey was second on the Rams in stroke average with a 74.3, but it was Fahey who led the Rams to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA East Regional, finishing in second place overall, the highest finish ever for a URI golfer at the Regionals. Fahey finished with a 2-under par 208 (67-72-70) for the tournament, finishing one stroke behind National Collegiate Golfer of the Year Bill Haas from Wake Forest. Fahey earned All-Atlantic 10 honors with a fifth-place finish at the conference championship, and earned Academic All-Conference honors.

Ben Spitz, a transfer from Texas Christian University, won the New England Division I Championship on the first playoff hole this spring as a freshman, carding a pair of 1-under par 71s to finish 2-under for the tournament. Spitz, who was third on the team with a 75.5 stroke average, took 12th at the Atlantic 10 Championship and took third at the URI Invitational.

Tuthill finished fourth on the team with a 75.9 stroke average and his best finish of the year was third place at the Central Connecticut Invitational. He finished tied for 99th at the NCAA East Regional and took 14th at the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Spencer was fifth on the team with a 76.2 stroke average. He broke the top 10 at the New England Championships with an eighth-place finish and posted two other top 15 finishes at the Mason Rudolph Invitational (12th) and the URI Invitational (14th).

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