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Ned Michaels Receives Inaugural
Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup

April 18, 2000
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Vanderbilt men's golf program announced Tuesday that Ned Michaels has won the inaugural Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup, which will be presented to the team's top qualifier each season. The purpose of the award is to create a sense of tradition for the golf program and to honor the memory of Craig Rudolph.

"Our golf program needs to lay the groundwork that will establish some tradition and place our program among the elite in college golf and the addition of the Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup is a step in the right direction," said Jim Ragan, Vanderbilt Head Men's Golf Coach. "Our vision is to have the cup filled with the names of future PGA Tour players and outstanding contributers to society."

Craig Rudolph, the late son of Vanderbilt Director of Golf and long-time PGA Tour player Mason Rudolph, was a gifted golfer and an outstanding individual. He excelled playing the sport as a junior golfer, winning the 1983 Tennessee State High School Championship.

He continued his success at the collegiate level by winning the 1987 Tennessee, Fripp Island and Akron Invitational Championships as well as advancing to the 1987 NCAA Championships. In 1988, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after winning the conference tournament by nine strokes. In 1994, he was again honored by the OVC when he was selected to the conference's All-Time Team.

Rudolph also had success as an amateur golfer. He competed in the 1987 and 1989 United States Amateur Championships, finished second in the 1987 Tennessee Amateur Championships and made it to the semifinals of the 1987 Tennessee State Match Play Championships. After his success in the amateur ranks, Rudolph went on to qualify for the PGA Tour in 1991.

After leaving the Tour, Rudolph remained around the game as a golf professional at Nashville's Springhouse Golf Club and then later at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. He was last the head professional at Ballantyne Country Club in North Carolina.

"We wanted to make this award special and having the Rudolph name attached to it exemplifies everything we want to see in the young men that play for Vanderbilt," Ragan said. "Traits such as honesty, integrity, competitiveness, talent and the committment to winning are things Mason and Carol have given their children. I cannot imagine a better foundation on which to build a program."

Michaels, a native of Atlanta, Ga., is currently third on the team with a 74.48 stroke average. He has two top-10 finishes, including his career-best tie for sixth place at the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate earlier this month. He joined the Commodore squad in January of 1999 after transferrig from Wake Forest.

The Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup will symbolize all of those outstanding characteristics and having their name permanately placed on the Cup will be a goal for each young man that ever plays golf at Vanderbilt University.

Funding for the Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup, as well as an annual gift to the golf equipment fund, was provided by an anonimous friend of the Rudolph family and a supporter of the Vanderbilt golf program.