Golf Plays in Gary Koch Invite in Final Tune-Up
4/7/2013 3:54:48 PM | Men's Golf
VIDEO: Preview with coach Larry Mays | Monday's tee times (PDF)
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern golf team will head to Tampa, Fla., this weekend for the Gary Koch Invitational in their final tune-up before the Southern Conference championships.
The two-day, 54-hole event will be at the par 72, 7,389-yard Old Memorial Golf Course. The tournament features seven top-50 teams (Golfstat rankings), including the Eagles (50) and top-10 programs Georgia Tech (8) and Florida (9). The Eagles play 36 holes Monday and tee off at 7:35 a.m.
"It's a good warm-up for the Southern Conference tournament," said GSU golf coach Larry Mays. "The courses are similar coastal-type courses with water and wind and some tight shots. Last year, it worked pretty well in giving us an idea of how our guys were playing going into our conference championship."
The usual foursome of Scott Wolfes, Charlie Martin, Hayden Anderson and Will Evans will compete for the Eagles this weekend. Henry Mabbett will be the fifth Eagle to count for the team score, and Caleb Morris will play as an individual.
While the top four are likely set for the SoCon Championships April 21-23, the fifth spot is still up for grabs, and this weekend's results will certainly factor in to that decision.
"We've been searching for someone to step up into that five spot and give us some consistent help," said Mays.
Matt Mierzejewski occupied that spot most of the fall when the Eagles won two tournaments, and Blake Olson had the role in the first four tournaments of the spring. The Gary Koch Invitational will be the fourth tournament of the season for both Mabbett and Morris.
The Eagles, who have been off since hosting the Schenkel Invitational March 15-17, have five top-5 finishes and three tournament titles to their credit in 2012-13.
Wolfes leads the squad with a 71.33 scoring average and has placed first or second in five of nine tournaments. Anderson has a 73.73 scoring average and three top-10 individual finishes this year, and Evans is averaging 74.67 strokes a round with four top-20 outings. Martin has a 73.81 scoring average and three top-15 finishes.
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