LARAMIE, Wyo. – With a successful summer now in the rearview mirror, the Wyoming men's golf team will begin its 2017-18 season of competition with a trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the 49^th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational this Friday through Sunday. The three-round tournament, which features a field of 18 teams, will take place at the Eisenhower Golf Club Blue Course on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
 
"I'm excited it's here," said UW men's golf coach Joe Jensen about the beginning of the competition season. "The guys have had a good summer and we've put in good work since they've been here (in Laramie). It's just fun to get into tournament season. I want them to have fun and I want to play aggressive. We're very fortunate to have four quality tournaments this fall that are close to home. I love playing golf in the fall in this area."
 
Seniors Drew McCullough and Glenn Workman are both coming off very successful summers and will look to follow in the footsteps of new UW golf assistant coach Ryan Wallen, who qualified for the NCAA Washington Regional to close his illustrious career as a Cowboy this spring. Workman won both the Colorado and Wyoming state amateur championships this summer, becoming the first male amateur ever to win both tournaments in the same summer. McCullough's summer of amateur play included an improbable victory at the Washington Open, where he came from six strokes behind to win the tournament with a final round 65 (-7).
 
Pope and McCullough each tied for 19^th at last season's Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, carding scores of 222 (+6). Arron Lickteig, who tied for 42^nd at last year's event with a total score of 227 (+11) and Quintin Pope, who took 63^rd at 232 (+16), round out the foursome of Cowboy seniors in 2017-18. McCullough was second on the team behind Wallen with a stroke average of 73.4 in 2016-17, while Workman was fourth at 74.9. Lickteig was fifth on the team, averaging 75 strokes in 2016-17, while Pope's scoring average was 77 strokes.
 
Junior John Murdock is primed for a breakout junior season after a solid sophomore campaign in 2016-17. Murdock was third on the squad with a 74.6 scoring average last season. The Laramie native tied for 52^nd at last year's Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, carding a three-round total of 230 (+14). Dan Starzinski, the lone Cowboy sophomore, looks to be a big contributor in 2017-18 after posting an average of 76.1 in five 2016-17 events. Starzinski tied for 69^th at Air Force last season, posting a score of 234 (+18). Freshman Carl Underwood, who attended the same high school as McCullough in Richland, Wash., will also be in the mix to vie for a spot in the Cowboy lineup this fall.  
 
Tee times for the 49th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational will begin at 7:30 a.m. MT each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fans can follow live results at the link above, while additional updates will be available at @wyo_golf on Twitter and on GoWyo.com throughout the weekend.