GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's golf team will open the fall portion of its schedule as the Pioneers travel to Bristol this week for the King University Invitational.

The Pioneers are the defending champions of the King event, rallying from a five-stroke deficit in the head coaching debut for Hunter Chandley last season.

Chandley returns eight lettermen from last year's club who finished fifth at the South Atlantic Conference championship, its best showing in six years.

Junior Liam van Deventer is back after carding a 73.2 stroke average playing only in the spring season.  In his six events, he posted a 73.18 average and finished three times in the top-20 including his third-place showing at the Bob Dibble Intercollegiate.  His 73.76 career stroke average is the third-lowest in Tusculum history.

Senior Blake Williams returns after playing in seven tournaments and finished with a 75.29 scoring average. He tied for 11^th place at the Saint Leo Invitational with a three-round score of 213 which is the eighth-lowest 54-hole score in TU history.

Senior Isak Holter tallied a 76.85 average in his five appearances a year ago as he logged a pair of top-20 performances including runner-up honors at the Dibble Intercollegiate which included a final round 69.

Junior Liam Hermansson qualified for eight tournaments last season and carded a 78.10 stroke average and finished in the top-20 on a pair of occasions including 12^th at the King Invitational.

Tusculum got a huge boost to its line-up with the return of All-SAC performer Dominic Barron Holden. Holden played last year at NCAA Division I Central Arkansas. Before his departure to UCA, he logged a 73.05 career average, which is currently the second lowest in program history. During the 2021-22 season, he led the team with his 72.67 stroke average (4^th in TU history) and posted six finishes in the top-20 including five top-10 outings. He finished sixth at the 2022 SAC Championship with a career-low 209 which is the third-best 54-score by a Pioneer.  In his 2020-21 rookie season, he led TU with a 73.59 average.

Also returning for the Pioneers are Cole Haygood, Hunter Hartman, Lawson Harkey, and Liam Colohan.

Four newcomers join the TU squad led by freshman Morgan Cain. The Cork, Ireland product finished fourth in the Irish Boys Order of Merit and also placed third at the Irish Boys Championship.

Also new to the squad this season are Ryland Chaney (Owensboro, Ky.), Marinus Jeebe (Forstinning, Germany) and Dylan Side (Gray, Tenn.).

Following the King Invitational the Pioneers will host the 30^th annual Bob Dibble Intercollegiate next week (Oct. 2-3) at Link Hills Country Club. It will mark the first time the event is a 54-hole tournament with 36 holes being contested on Monday (Oct. 2) and the final round on Tuesday (Oct. 3).