April 8, 2008

Modesto, Calif. - Former Penn State golfers Mark Leon (Brampton, Ontario) and Dirk Ayers (Sarasota, Fla.) will begin another year in professional golf this weekend when they compete in the Spring International, the first tournament of the Canadian Tour season.

Leon, a 2005 graduate and three-time Mid-Atlantic Region Team selection, enters his first full season on the Canadian Tour after tying for seventh place at Canadian Tour Qualifying School in September. A former All-Big Ten Conference selection and GCAA All-American, Leon will look to add to the experience he gained on the tour last season, having made the cut in two of the four Canadian Tour events he entered.

While Leon is new to the tour, Ayers has been playing on the circuit since 1997. Ayers, a 1996 alum, made three of nine cuts in 2007, with his best finish coming at the TELUS Edmonton Open where he came in 22nd place. His best year on the Canadian Tour came in 2004 when he finished ninth on the money list with over $42,00 in earnings. The 1992 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 1996 Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year, Ayers also has experience on the PGA Tour, the Nationwide Tour and the Australasian PGA Tour.

The Spring International, which carries a purse of $100,00, will be played at the Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, Calif. Adam Bland won last year's event, winning in the first playoff hole after posting a score of 9-under par 279.