JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman men's golf team will open up its second tournament in the span of eight days on Monday as they Eagles travel 24 miles south for the third annual Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate hosted by Tennessee Tech University at the Sevierville Golf Club, which will serve as a de-facto home tournament.
And for the second consecutive week, C-N will be competing against a field of Division-I foes. West Georgia is the only other team in the field from the Division-II ranks.
The Eagles enter the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate after finishing fourth last week at the Benbow Invitational in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. This week, they return to their home nest at the Sevierville Golf Club.
Carson-Newman will look to freshman Ben Kennard (Knoxville, Tenn.) to continue his hot play. Last week in Florida, Kennard played his best tournament of the season. He shot a 75 and 74 over the two rounds and finished tied for fourth.
The last competitive round of play for the Eagles on the River Course occurred in September as the team hosted the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate. Carson-Newman finished second in the tournament and junior Andrew Hall (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished in a tie for second at a one-over 217; he also shot the team's low round of the tournament with a second-round score of three-under 69. Sophomore Dalton Reese (Warrenton, Ga.) tied for sixth in September with a four-over 220.
In his first tournament in the Orange and Blue, Kennard finished in a tie for 24th after shooting two 77s and a 78. He played in the tournament as an individual.
Joining Kennard, Hall and Reese on this week's team are juniors Nicklaus Kennedy (London, Ontario) and Nathan Hodge (Jefferson City, Tenn.). Both players tied for 12th at the Smokey Mountain. Kennedy went low in the first round with a 74, while Hodge's low score came during round number two with a even-par score of 72.
The team shot a 288 during the second round at the Smokey Mountain, which is the second-lowest round of the season.
Fifteen teams total will be competing in the tournament. The full list includes: Tennessee Tech, Carson-Newman, Detroit, Evansville, Jacksonville State, Longwood, Murray State, Samford, Southern Illinois, Tennessee State, UT-Martin, West Georgia, Eastern Kentucky and Wright State.
UT-Martin, Eastern Kentucky and Wright State are the top D-I competitors. All three teams are ranked in the top-200 of Division-I. West Georgia is the seventh-ranked team in the Division-II.
The 54-hole Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate will be played on the River Course, which hosted last season's SAC Championship , which the Eagles won. The course spans 6,928 yards and plays as a par-72. The Eagles will play two rounds on Monday and finish with 18 holes on Tuesday.
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