The Air Force golf team is set to host the 56th Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational from September 20 to 22 at the Eisenhower Golf Course on the Academy grounds. The event features a two-part format, with the team competition taking place on the Blue Course and an individual event on the Silver Course. Each day will see golfers play 18 holes, beginning at 8:30 am MT on Saturday, September 20. The tournament includes a field of 23 teams.
Participating teams alongside Air Force are Boise State, Cal Baptist, Cal State Northridge, Denver, Gonzaga, Hawaii, Idaho, Incarnate Word, Nevada, Northern Colorado, San Jose State, Southern Utah, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Utah State, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, UT-Arlington, Weber State and Wyoming.
The tournament has been held for 56 seasons and was renamed in 2003 to honor Gene Miranda. Miranda led the Air Force program for 25 years and is a member of the Air Force Athletics’ Hall of Fame.
The Blue Course at Eisenhower Golf Club opened in 1959 and was named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The course measures 7,541 yards as a par-72 layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., and has received recognition as one of the top military and college courses in the country by PGA.com and Golf Week respectively. The Silver Course was designed by Frank Hummel and is known for its challenging greens and hazards despite being shorter than the Blue Course.
This year’s lineup for Air Force includes Ted Davenport (1), Carson Baker (2), Eli Huntington (3), Eric Liveringhouse (4), Brooks Morrell (5), with Lincoln Blake, Alvaro Fonseca, Grant Samuelson, Jackson Scaletta and Ben Zeiler competing as individuals.
Last season at this invitational saw Air Force finish tenth with their best result since placing fourth in 2019. Eli Huntington led the Falcons individually with a sixth-place finish out of 110 golfers. Colorado State secured both the individual title through Matthew Wilkinson and won its third consecutive team title.
Most recently at the Folds of Honor Collegiate in Grand Haven, Michigan, Air Force posted its best final round score at that event with a team total of 287 (+3). This performance allowed them to finish ahead of Army on the last day. Baker and Davenport each recorded scores of 227 (+14) over three rounds.
Senior captain Brooks Morrell also competed individually at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Lake Bluff, Illinois where he finished tied for 32nd after three rounds totaling 217 (+7).
Following this weekend’s invitational at home, Air Force will participate in the Commander-in-Chief’s Cup against Army and Navy from September 30 to October 1 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
