NAIA will take national tournament to Creekside

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced that the 2012 and 2013 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships have been awarded to the Cascade Collegiate Conference office, which will partner with CCC member Corban University (Ore.) to host the 61st and 62nd annual events at Creekside Golf Club in Salem, Ore.

The 72-hole tournaments will be staged May 22-25, 2012, and May 14-17, 2013. It will mark the first time in 56 years that the championships are contested on the West Coast.

“We are thrilled to have the Cascade Collegiate Conference and Corban University as hosts for the 2012 and 2013 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “I am confident that they will carry on the strong tradition of this event and make it a memorable experience for all student-athletes, coaches and fans involved. On behalf of the NAIA, I would like to recognize the efforts of our current host, the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau of Iowa and Illinois, for what it has done to make the championship a success.”

Creekside Golf Club was named the “Facility of the Year” in 2007 by the Oregon Golf Association. Designed by Oregon touring professional Peter Jacobsen, the 6,887-yard, par-72 course is a unique links-style layout featuring water hazards on 14 of its 18 holes. The course includes more than 80 fairway and greenside bunkers. Among other notable events, Creekside has hosted the Oregon Open and served as a U.S. Senior Open regional qualifier site.

As part of each national championship, the CCC and Corban will develop and implement community outreach efforts centered on the NAIA’s signature initiative, “Champions of Character,” which embodies the core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. The association’s innovative flagship program is designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.

Assisting in the efforts to land the event was Oregon Sports Authority CEO Drew Mahalic, who noted that “the Creekside Golf Club, as part of the majesty of Oregon, will be the perfect venue for the student-athlete competitors, coaches, and spectators.”

More than 180 NAIA institutions sponsor intercollegiate men’s golf, and the tournament fields in 2012 and 2013 are expected to include approximately 30 teams and a total of 156 individuals. As co-host, Corban’s team will earn an automatic bid to the championships.

Held annually since 1952, the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships will be making a rare appearance on the West Coast. The only other occurrence was in 1956, when the event was contested at Mission Valley CC in San Diego. This May, the tournament will be concluding a three-year run at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill