By the Numbers -- Schenkel Invitational 2012
3/16/2012 11:34:00 PM | Men's Golf
STATESBORO, Ga. - "By the Numbers" usually spotlights a Georgia Southern Athletics team with statistics, rankings and other interesting items of note, but this week, the 33rd annual Schenkel Invitational Golf Tournament is featured. Held Friday-Sunday, March 16-18th, this event brings some of the nation's top collegiate golf teams and individuals to Statesboro. There is no admission to watch the Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club.
Alabama added the 19th number to the list of facts and figures after setting the record for low round on day one of the event.
2: Two Eagles have won individual medalist honors at the Schenkel Invitational as Richie Bryant won in 1989 and Jimmy Ellis in 1973.
3: Logan Blondell was the most recent Eagle to post two top-10 finishes at the Schenkel Invitational during his career with a tie for sixth in the 2010 event (213) and a third-place finish (210) in 2008. Jodie Mudd had three top-10 finishes in 1979 (213-T-4th), 1980 (214-T4th) and 1981 (215-6th) and Buddy Alexander finished tied for sixth in 1974 (213) and third in 1975 (203).
6: Oklahoma State has won six Schenkel Invitational team titles, the most of any school. Wake Forest has the most individual medalists with 6 with the Cowboys checking in with 5.
6: In the last 10 Schenkel Invitationals, 6 Southeastern Conference teams have won the team crown, including the last five straight (2010-2011 Auburn, 2009 South Carolina, 2008 Alabama, 2007 Georgia, 2004 Florida). Duke and North Carolina won in back to back years, 2005 and 2006, respectively, with Wake Forest winning in 2003 to represent the Atlantic Coast Conference. Augusta State won on the event in 2002.
8: Of participants who have posted top-10 finishes in the Schenkel Invitational, eight have gone on to become NCAA individual champions. Matt Hill of N.C. State won medalist honors at both the Schenkel and NCAA in 2009 while LSU's John Peterson claimed individual NCAA medalist honors last year following his 10th-place individual finish at Forest Heights Country Club.
12: Four U.S. Open, four PGA and two British Open titles are among the major wins by individuals who posted a top-10 finish at the Schenkel Invitational during their collegiate careers.
13: Oklahoma State's Scott Verplank, who won the 1984 Schenkel Invitational, is one of only 13 individuals to have won both a the U.S. Amateur (1986) and NCAA individual championship (1984).
16: It would be hard to compare Chris Schenkel to any sports broadcaster of today -he was truly a pioneer in the business - the first to cover the Masters on television, the first to anchor a live broadcast of the Olympics and the first to call a nationally televised college football game. Not only was Schenkel presented with an Emmy for lifetime achievement in his field, he had been inducted into 16 halls of fame for his contributions to sports and broadcasting.
29: The Eagles have played in all 32 previous Schenkel Invitiationals with LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee playing in 29, followed by Auburn (28), Florida (27) and Georgia (26) for the most appearances. UAB is making only its second-ever trip to the Schenkel this year.
72: Par for the Forest Heights course is 72 with four individuals holding the record for low individual score at the Schenkel Invitational. Andy Bean (Florida, 1975); Darren Cole (Wake Forest, 1985), Chris Kite (Wake Forest, 1986) and Richie Bryant (Georgia Southern, 1989) shot a 63 (-9) in a single round. Bryant's 63 tied the Georgia Southern record for low round, an honor now shared by four individuals.
165: Number of Phi Mu sorority members who will be volunteering during the 2012 Schenkel Invitational. The Phi Mu sorority has been involved with the tournament since its inception in 1971.
195: Chris Kite of Wake Forest shot a 195 (-21) for the 1986 Schenkel to lead the Demon Deacons to the team win that year. Kite's total of 130 (-14) is the low individual score for 36 holes.
215: South Carolina's Mark Anderson and Georgia Southern's Jon David Kennedy tied at 215 after three rounds with the individual title of the 2005 Schenkel Invitational determined by a two-hole playoff. Anderson and Kennedy are both on the PGA Tour with Anderson playing in five events so far this year and Kennedy caddying on the tour. Anderson, who enjoyed playing in the Schenkel so much during his collegiate career, shows his support for the event as a paid patron.
228: Players who had a top-10 finish at the Schenkel Invitational have registered 228 PGA tour wins with Curtis Strange (Wake Forest) leading the pack with 17, Hal Sutton (Centenary) with 14, Mark Calcevecchia (Florida) with 13 and 11 each for Andy Bean (Florida), John Cook (Ohio State) and Scott Hock (Wake Forest).
268: Alabama shot a 268 (-20) on the first day of competition in the 33rd annual Schenkel Invitational to set the record for low round. The Tide's top four players made 20 birdies and didn't have a single bogey. The previous record was 270 set by Georgia in 2000.
848: Florida and Auburn tied with team totals of 848 in the 2011 Schenkel Invitational with Auburn roaring back from a five-stroke deficit in the last three holes of the final round to force a playoff. The Tigers, who won on the first playoff hole, became the first repeat champion at the Schenkel since Georgia in 2000 and 2001.
1,940: Miles traveled by then Georgia Southern Athletics Director J.I. Clements, Charles "Cholly" Robbins and Don McDougal to the 1971 NCAA Golf Championship to hand-deliver invitations for Schenkel Invitational to coaches of the nation's top teams when they competed in Tucson, Ariz., that year.
1971: The inaugural year of the Schenkel Invitational was 1971 after a chance encounter between the legendary sports broadcaster Chris Schenkel and Statesboro resident Charles "Cholly" Robbins after the two were introduced by Savannahian Leo Beckman. Beckman, who called the 18th green at the Masters, introduced Robbins and Schenkel during the 1968 Masters. Twenty-seven committee members helped prepare for this year's Schenkel Invitational, recognized as one of the top collegiate tournaments in the nation.
1986: Former Eagle golfer, Georgia Southern Head Golf Coach and current Florida Head Golf Coach Buddy Alexander won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1986, one of seven Schenkel Invitational alumni to accomplish that feat.
