GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College will
host 15 collegiate men's golf teams at the 21st annual Tusculum
Invitational this weekend at Link Hills Country Club.
The first round begins at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, followed by
Sunday's final round which is slated to tee off at 9 a.m. on the
par 71, 6,733-yard lay-out.
The Pioneers have won this event in two of the last three years and
six times overall (1995, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2011, 2012).
This year's tournament field will include fellow South Atlantic
Conference members: Anderson University, Lincoln Memorial
University and Mars Hill University. NCAA Division II teams also
competing in this year's tournament include: Bluefield State
College, Lee University, Urbana University and the University of
Virginia's College at Wise. Other participants include: Marian
University (Ind.), Milligan College, Parkland College, USC
Lancaster, Spartanburg Methodist College, Tennessee Wesleyan
College and Walters State College.
Lincoln Memorial is the defending champion of this event, while Walters State won the inaugural Tusculum Invitational in 1994. Lee University returns to the TC Invitational after winning the 2004 team championship.
Four of the teams in this year's tournament field are ranked in the top 50 in the latest Golfstat head-to-head standings, including No. 22 Tennessee Wesleyan, No. 34 Milligan (NAIA), No. 37 Lincoln Memorial (NCAA II) and No. 49 Marian (NAIA). Two teams are also nationally ranked in the NJCAA Poll including No. 3 Walters State and No. 12 Parkland.
In the latest Golfstat report, Lee University has the third-best team adjusted stroke average of 73.19. LU senior Hunter Vest leads the Flames with his 71.41 average, which is seventh in NCAA II. Lee teammate Matt Emery is 16th in the country with his 71.82 average. Lincoln Memorial is presently ninth in the nation with its 73.94 team adjusted average.
Marian University junior Vince Drahman is 18th in the NAIA Golfstat listings with his 72.27 average.
Walters State is seventh in the country in the NJCAA Golfstat report with a 74.40 team average. The Senators are led by Tusculum signee Brad Hawkins, who is third in the country with his 71.00 average. WSCC teammate Andrew Hall is fifth in the nation with his 71.75 average.
Admission to the 36-hole tournament is free and open to the public.
- TC -
