BRADENTON, Fla. (Men’s and Women’s Golf) – The 2012 Florida Blue Sunshine State Conference Golf Championship will be held Monday and Tuesday at The Concession.

All nine SSC member institutions will field teams in both men's and women's competition. The University of Tampa is serving as host for this year's tournament.

Play will begin with 36 holes on Monday. The champions will be crowned after the final 18 holes are played on Tuesday.

Nine men’s and women’s teams are ranked in the latest Top 25 polls heading into the tournament.

On the women's side, five SSC teams are among the top 10 teams in Division II. Nova Southeastern is currently the top-ranked team in the country, with Florida Southern sitting in the No. 2 slot. Lynn is ranked No. 4, followed closely by Barry at No. 6. Saint Leo is No. 9 in the latest poll.

FIT will look to be the dark horse in the competition. The Panthers’ lineup of Jessica Hook, Hilary Lassoff, Rachel Polson, Karisma Smith and Jara’ Templet is on pace to smash the program’s scoring average record of 330.85. Through 18 rounds this season, the group is averaging 324.22 strokes per round.

On the men's side, three SSC teams are among the top five in the latest coaches' poll. Barry holds the No. 1 ranking, Lynn sits at No. 2 and Nova Southeastern occupies No. 4.

The Panthers have almost broken into the Top 25 several times this season. Like their female counterparts, they are on pace to register the best scoring average in the program’s history. They currently hold an average of 294.83 strokes per round and the record is 299.47, set four years ago. Ray Badenhorst, Colin Flabbi, Brandon Lau, Patrick Sheedy and Christian Westhorpe will represent FIT at the championship.

The Concession is a course designed by Jack Nicklaus in association with Tony Jacklin. It derives its name from a historic interaction between the two men. On the final hole of the 1969 Ryder Cup Match at Royal Birkdale in England, Nicklaus stunned the golf world by conceding a two-foot putt to Jacklin for the first of only two ties in Ryder Cup history. Today, that gesture is considered one of the finest acts of sportsmanship in golf history and has inspired one of America's great golf clubs, The Concession.

The Concession is an 18-hole, par 72 course that totals 7,474 yards and runs three miles from tip to tip. Upon its completion, it was named "Best New Private Course" in 2006 by Golf Digest. In 2011-12, that same publication ranked it the fourth-best course in the state of Florida.