By: By Al Barba
OPENING TEE
The No. 41 Kennesaw State men's golf team resumes its spring schedule this week when it opens play at the Old Waverly Collegiate hosted by Mississippi State beginning Monday.
The two-day, 54-hole tournament opens with 36 holes at the par-72, 7,000-yard Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss. The tournament concludes Tuesday with the final 18 holes. Play will open with a shotgun start beginning at 9:30 a.m. (ET), and the Owls are grouped with Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Lipscomb.
The Old Waverly Collegiate marks the first of two tournaments that the Owls will compete in within the span of seven days as Kennesaw State will also take part in the Irish Creek Collegiate April 8-9 in Kannapolis, N.C.
The two events mark the Owls' final tune-ups before Kennesaw State opens defense of its 2016 ASUN Conference championship April 16-18 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga.
The Field
The 17-team field includes Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Louisiana (Lafayette), Louisiana (Monroe), Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Rice, South Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Mississippi and South Florida. Three teams – Mississippi (No. 24), Lipscomb (No. 34) and Kennesaw State (No. 41) – are ranked in Golfstat's top 50.
Lineup
1.
Christopher Guglielmo
2.
Teremoana Beaucousin
3.
Jake Fendt
4.
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres
5.
Connor Coffee
Kennesaw State at the Old Waverly Collegiate
The Owls will be competing in the Old Waverly Collegiate for the first time. McNeese State returns as the defending champion, winning the 2016 event with a 2-over par score of 866 and a six-shot victory over Ole Miss.
The Rankings
The Owls are currently ranked No. 41 by Golfstat and No. 33 by
Golfweek.
Last Time Out
Kennesaw State senior
Christopher Guglielmo shot a closing round one-under par 71 to finish at 10-under par 206 and tie for third place at the Linger Longer Invitational that concluded March 21 at the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Guglielmo's tie for third marked the best finish by a Kennesaw State individual in the event since the Owls began participating in the tournament in 2006. His 10-under par total also represented the lowest 54-hole score by a KSU player, and was six shots behind Greyson Sigg of Georgia, who claimed individual medalist honors with a tournament-record score of 16-under par 200. The Kennesaw State senior's efforts helped the Owls post a final-round score of two-under par 286 and tie Augusta for eighth place with a 3-under par score of 861. Fourth-ranked Baylor led wire-to-wire to post a convincing 15-shot victory over No. 8 Virginia. The Bears set a tournament record with a 33-under par score of 831, while the Cavaliers concluded play at 18-under 846 to finish second in a field that included six teams ranked in Golfstat's top 50.
ASUIN Golfer of the Week Honors
Christopher Guglielmo (Oct. 6)
Connor Coffee (Nov. 3)
Jake Fendt (March 16)
Christopher Guglielmo (March 23)
Top Owl
Sophomore
Jake Fendt currently leads the Owls with a 72.39 scoring average while playing 23 rounds. In eight events, Fendt has recorded three top 20 finishes, including two top 10 showings. He posted his first career victory at the Southern Intercollegiate after posting a 36-hole total of 7-under par 137.
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 talented freshman
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 Old Waverly Collegiate, the Owls will travel to Kannapolis, N.C., for the Irish Creek Collegiate hosted by Charlotte at the Irish Creek Country Club beginning April 7.
Keep up with Owls men's golf by following KSU on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMGolf or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
#GoKSUOwls
