The Georgia Southern men’s golf program, the Schenkel Invitational Committee and Forest Heights Country Club are set to host the 41st playing of the Schenkel Invitational March 19-21 at Forest Heights in Statesboro.
Admission is free, and spectators are welcome. Face coverings must be worn indoors, and fans are asked to practice social distancing and adhere to CDC guidelines.
Army, Campbell, Cincinnati, College of Charleston, ETSU, FGCU, Furman, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Notre Dame and Rutgers make up the 14-team field. Four participating teams are ranked in the top-50 nationally, according to Golfstat, and 12 are ranked in the top-100.
Georgia Southern is the defending champion after the Eagles won their home event for the second time in 2019. The tournament was canceled last season because of COVID-19.
NC State makes its 34th appearance in the event, the most of any team in the field except for the host Eagles. Campbell, Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast and Rutgers are playing in the tournament for the first time. East Tennessee State finished second, Notre Dame was third, Kentucky placed fifth, College of Charleston was sixth and Middle Tennessee State finished eighth in 2019.
The Eagles are the only team in the field that has won the event, but NC State has finished in the top-5 10 times and produced two medalists. Kentucky has seven top-5 finishes, and ETSU has three. Notre Dame and Memphis have each finished in the top-5 once.
The Youth Clinic, which has become an annual mainstay of the event, is canceled this year because of COVID 19, and organizers plan on bringing it back in 2022.
The practice round for competitors is Thursday, and the first round of the tournament is scheduled for Friday with teams teeing off the first and 10th holes beginning at 9 a.m. The second round is slated for Saturday starting at 9 a.m., and the third and final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The trophy ceremony is expected to be at approximately 3 p.m. Sunday.
From Georgia Southern University, Marc Gignac
