By: By Al Barba
OPENING TEE
The No. 43 Kennesaw State men's golf team returns to familiar territory this weekend when it co-hosts with Mercer the Linger Longer Invitational at the Great Waters Golf Club at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament opens Sunday at the par-72, 7,073-yard beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Owls are grouped with Georgia and Baylor and are scheduled to tee off beginning at 9:20 a.m. The tournament continues with 18 holes on Monday and Tuesday starting at 8:30 a.m. each day.
The event, which traditionally attracts one of the top fields of any tournament in the country, will feature the top six finishers from a year ago, including defending champion Alabama.
The Field
The 15-team field includes Alabama, Augusta, Baylor, Charlotte, Georgia, Kennesaw State, Maryland, Mercer, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Ohio State, Troy, UNCG, Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth. Six teams – Baylor (No. 4), Virginia (No. 8), Georgia (No. 20), Michigan (No. 37), Kennesaw State (No. 43) and Middle Tennessee State (No. 45 – are ranked in Golfstat's top 50. An additional four-teams – Augusta (No. 51), Ohio State (No. 55) Alabama (No. 56) and Troy (No. 67) – are ranked in the top 75.
Lineup
1.
Jake Fendt
2.
Teremoana Beaucousin
3.
Connor Coffee
4.
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres
5.
Christopher Guglielmo
I.
Buster Bruton
I.
Paul Doig.
Odom on the Linger Longer Invitational
"The Linger Longer Invitational is the strongest field we will see this spring, and arguably the best venue in Great Waters," head coach
Bryant Odom said. "I really like what I've seen out of the team these last few weeks, especially with Jake (Fendt) winning, and some lower scores from other players. If we can get all five players scoring together, we can see some high finishes very soon."
2016 Linger Longer Invitational Review
Alabama captured the 2016 Linger Longer Invitational with a 12-under par 852, to record a three-shot victory over Georgia and Augusta, who tied for second at 9-under par 855. Georgia's Lee McCoy claimed individual medalist honors for the second consecutive year after posting a 9-under par 207, to finish one shot ahead of teammate Sepp Straka (208, -8). Kennesaw State (866, +2) placed fifth, five shots behind fourth-place Virginia (861, -3).
Fredrik Nilehn (210, -6) tied for fourth to lead the Owls, while freshman
Jake Fendt (213, -3) tied for eighth.
The Rankings
The Owls are currently ranked No. 43 by Golfstat and No. 32 by
Golfweek.
Last Time Out
Battling extreme cold, wind and rain, Kennesaw State sophomore
Jake Fendt overcame the adverse conditions to claim individual medalist honors at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships that were held Monday (March 13) at the par-72, 6,917-yard Athens Country Club. Fendt posted rounds of 68-69 for a 7-under par 137 to record a one-shot victory over Georgia's Greyson Sigg and defeat a field that included six teams in Golfstat's top 50 and seven players ranked in the top 85. In recording 11 birdies over 36 holes, Fendt earned individual medalist honors for the first time, while registering his 10th career top 20 and fifth top 10 showing. His performance helped Kennesaw State place fifth with a 3-under par total of 573 to finish nine shots behind ASUN Conference rival Lipscomb, which claimed the team title with a 12-under par score of 564.
ASUIN Golfer of the Week Honors
Christopher Guglielmo (Oct. 6)
Connor Coffee (Nov. 3)
Jake Fendt (March 16)
Top Owl
Freshman
Connor Coffee has made an immediate impact for Kennesaw State as he has competed in six events and tops the Owls with a 72.05 stroke average and four top five finishes, including individual medalist honors at the Steelwood Intercollegiate last October.
The 2016-17 Roster
Head coach
Bryant Odom 2016-17 roster includes four the five players who helped the Owls claim the 2016 ASUN Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Franklin Regional. The KSU roster includes two seniors (
Teremoana Beaucousin,
Christopher Guglielmo),, three juniors (
Wyatt Larkin,
Buster Bruton,
Paul Doig), one sophomore (
Jake Fendt) and two talented freshmen (
Walker Bottomley,
Connor Coffee).
Guglielmo Qualifies for U.S. Amateur Championship
Senior
Christopher Guglielmo qualified the 2016 U.S. Amateur Championship that was held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., in August. It marked the second straight year that Guglielmo qualified for world's most prestigious amateur championship.
Kennesaw State Men's Golf
The Kennesaw State men's golf program has established itself at the national level in recent years as it has made six consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and advanced to the NCAA Championships on two occasions. The Owls finished the 2015-16 season ranked No. 45 by Golfstat and No. 49 by
Golfweek.
Next Up
Following the Linger Longer Invitational, Kennesaw State will take two weeks off before returning action at the Old Waverly Collegiate hosted by Ole Miss at the Old Waverly Golf Course in West Point, Miss. The 54-hole tournament will be held March 3-4.
Keep up with Owls men's golf by following KSU on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMGolf or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
#GoKSUOwls
