The Stetson University men's golf team will begin play in the third of its four fall events on Monday at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Cashiers, N.C. at the Hummingbird Intercollegiate.
The event, which is hosted by Western Carolina University, will include a total of 15 teams who are scheduled to play 36 holes on Monday and a finale 18 holes on Tuesday. Live scoring will be provided throughout the event at GolfStat.com.
This year marks the 12
th consecutive for the tournament, and the 13
th overall in its history. This is the first time Stetson has ever played in the event.
Gardner-Webb returns to defend the tournament title from last fall when the Bulldogs set a tournament 54-hole record with a score of 856. Clemson's Colby Patton, playing as an individual, took home medalist honors with an 11-under par score of 202. Overall, nine players finished the tournament under par last year.
In addition to Stetson, Gardner-Webb and host Western Carolina, the event will include teams from Austin Peay, Belmont, Central Arkansas, Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Morehead State, Tennessee Tech and Wofford as well as three individual players from Clemson.
The Hatters' squad for the tournament includes seniors
Baylor Payne,
Tate Smith and
Jake Ludwick, junior
Chris Williard and freshman
Carson Tewell. Williard is coming off earning co-ASUN Player of the Week honors from his last outing, which ended in an eighth place tie at the Memphis Intercollegiate with an even par 216.
The course at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley was designed by renowned golf course architect George C. Cobb and opened in 1956. Unique among mountain courses, it combines the beautiful vistas of a high mountain valley with the playability of a traditional level course. Laced with trout streams, dotted with ponds and surrounded by large wooded private properties, the facility's logo is a hummingbird, hence the name for the event.
For the tournament, the course will play to a par of 71 over 6,767 yards. Play will begin on Monday with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and continue straight through 36 holes. Tuesday's final round will have tee times from holes No. 1 and No. 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.
