By: By Al Barba
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Opening Tee
The Kennesaw State men's golf team returns to action this weekend when it opens play in the 3M Augusta Invitational hosted by Augusta University beginning Saturday at the par-72, 7,005-yard Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
The 54-hole event opens Saturday with a 36-hole shotgun start beginning at 8:30 a.m. The tournament concludes with the final 18 holes on Easter Sunday with scheduled tee times off holes one and 18 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Kennesaw State is paired with Navy and USC Aiken and will begin on holes 15-18.
The 3M Augusta Invitational marks the fifth and final spring tournament prior to the ASUN Conference Championships scheduled for April 15-17 at Chateau Elan Legends Course in Greensboro, Ga.
The Owls have are coming off an eighth place finish at the Linger Longer Invitational that concluded March 20. KSU has recorded six top five showings, including two runner-up showings, in nine events during the 2017-18 season.
The Field
The 15-team field for the Linger Longer Invitational includes Augusta, Central Florida, Georgia State, Houston, Illinois, Kennesaw State, Marquette, Navy, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee , UCLA, USC Aiken, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Eight teams – Illinois (No. 13), UCLA (No. 21), Wake Forest (No. 28), South Carolina (No. 38), Marquette (No. 40), Tennessee (No. 51), Central Florida (No. 55) and Kennesaw State (No. 57) – are ranked in Golfstat's Top 60.
LINEUP
1.
Wyatt Larkin
2.
Jake Fendt
3.
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres
4.
Connor Coffee
5.
Brady Keran
Kennesaw State at the 3M Augusta Invitational
The Owls are making their second appearance at the 3M Augusta Invitational. Kennesaw State previously competed in the event in 2016 and placed ninth in the 15-team tournament. The Owls carded a 6-over par 870 score. Illinois won the team title with a 27-under par 837 total to record a three-shot victory over Texas. Junior
Teremoana Beaucousin led KSU with an even-par score of 216 to tie for 25th.
Linger Longer Invitational Recap
Led by juniors
Wyatt Larkin and
Jake Fendt, Kennesaw State carded a final-round 5-under par 283 to finish eighth at the 16-team Linger Longer Invitational that concluded March 20 at the par-72, 7,073-yard Great Waters Golf Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The Owls shot the second-lowest round of the day as they moved up three places in the standings, following the second round, to finish the 54-hole event with a 7-over par 871 total. Eighth-ranked Alabama captured the team title, posting a 24-under par score of 840 to finish two shots ahead of second-place Georgia (842, -22). Larkin, whose 5-under par 67 equaled his career-low 18 hole score and tied for the day's low round, finished the tournament with a 5-under par 211 to tie for sixth.
Fall Recap
The Owls finished the fall strong, concluding with three top three finishes, including two runner-up showings. Kennesaw State tied for third at the Franklin American Intercollegiate in College Grove, Tenn., before tying for second at the Pinetree Intercollegiate and finishing alone in second at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational in Mobile, Ala. KSU posted its best round of the fall in the final round of the Franklin American Intercollegiate, carding a 6-under par 282. The Owls best 54-hole score came at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational when it recorded a 3-over par 867.
Jake Fendt Tops Owls
Junior
Jake Fendt leads Kennesaw State with a 71.96 scoring average in 25 rounds, posting four top 10 showings, including a tie for second at the Pinetree Intercollegiate. Fendt has recorded a team-best 17 rounds at par or better and has registered 11 under-par rounds.
Owl Honors
ASUN Golfer of the Week
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres (Nov. 2)
Wyatt Larkin (Feb. 15)
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres (March 8)
Wyatt Larkin (March 15)
Fendt Impressive at Jones Cup Invitational
Jake Fendt enters the spring riding the momentum of a solid performance at the Jones Cup Invitational that was held 26-28. The Owls' junior, who led after the first two rounds, tied for third place with a 3-under par 213 to finish one shot out of the lead in an event that annually features one of the top amateur fields of the year. Fendt posted scores of 70-73-70 at the challenging Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Fla., and was one of just four players in the 72-man field to complete the 54-hole event under par. He finished ahead of three players ranked among the world's top seven amateurs, including No. 1-ranked Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss), who tied for eighth. Humphrey is the world's third-ranked amateur.
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 seven consecutive NCAA Regional appearances and advanced to the NCAA Championships on three occasions, including last season. The Owls finished the 2016-17 season ranked No. 47 by Golfstat and No. 37 by
Golfweek.
Summer Highlights
Redshirt junior
Wyatt Larkin made a successful return to competitive play after missing nine months due to a back injury. In his first competitive action, Larkin captured individual medalist honors at the Yamaha Atlanta Open after shooting rounds 68-71 for a 5-under par 139 score and record a two-shot victory. He also tied for low amateur at the Georgia Open, tying for fifth, and tied 17th at Porter Cup at Nigara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y.
Sophomore
Connor Coffee continued the momentum from a strong freshman campaign by finishing second at the Georgia Amateur Championship at West Lake Country Club in Augusta. Posting four rounds in the 60s, Coffee shot rounds of 69-69-65-66 for a 5-under 269 and finished one shot out of first.
The 2017-18 Roster
Third-year head coach
Bryant Odom welcomes back a veteran team in 2017-18 that includes three of the five players who helped the Owls claim the 2017 ASUN Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Championships. The KSU roster includes two seniors (
Buster Bruton and
Paul Doig), four juniors (
Wyatt Larkin,
Jake Fendt,
Adam Morris,
Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero Torres, sophomore
Connor Coffee and two freshmen (
Brady Keran and
Justin Kim).
2016-17 Season in Review
Kennesaw State had a solid 2016-17 campaign, posting 12 top 10 finishes and 10 top five showings, including three tournament wins. KSU captured the Pinetree Intercollegiate, Steelwood Collegiate Invitational and ASUN Conference Championships.
Individually, sophomore
Jake Fendt led the Owls with a 72.32 scoring average, had six top 20 finishes, four top 10 showings, and claimed individual medalist honors at the Southern Intercollegiate.
2016-17 Season Honors
Connor Coffee earned ASUN Conference Co-Freshman of the Year honors, while seniors
Teremoana Beaucousin and
Christopher Guglielmo, and sophomore
Jake Fendt were named to the all-conference team.
Next Up
The Owls are next in action April 22 when they open play at the ASUN Conference Championships at Chateau Elan Legends Course in Braselton, Ga..
Keep up with Owls men's golf by following KSU on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMGolf or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
To learn more about The Owls Fund visit www.ksuowls.com/theowlsfund.
#GoKSUOwls
