JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After nearly three weeks off, the 18th-ranked Carson-Newman men's golf team returns to the Volunteer State and their home course at the Sevierville Golf Club's River Course for the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate hosted by Tennessee Tech in a field full of Division I teams.
Freshman Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.), junior Dalton Reese (Warrenton, Ga.) and seniors Andrew Hall (Knoxville, Tenn.), Nicklaus Kennedy (London, Ontario, Canada) and Jace Devault (Bluff City, Tenn.) will be competing in the team competition, while freshman Will Hurt (Powell, Tenn.) will compete as an individual.
"We're very excited to play our home course and playing in a Division I course," coach Randy Wylie said. "Bobby Nichols is very important to me. He was the coach at Tennessee Tech and a dear friend of me. I competed against him when I was in college 30 years ago and he was a professional at the time. It's in his memory and an honor we play the tournament.
"Our expectations are really high. We have a really experienced team. We are going to win the golf tournament so hopefully that's what happens. We have enough experience and knowledge of the golf course, so if we bring our A-game like I expect us to, we should be challenging for the tournament championship."
C-N finished seventh in its last event at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Preview three weeks ago in Mission-in-the-Hills, Fla. The team finished ahead of two teams that are currently ranked ahead of the them in the Bushnell Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll.
Devault, Hall, Headrick, and Reese all competed at the Regional Preview with Hall leading the team with a 19th-place finish. Kennedy's last participated in an event at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate, while Hurt is making his first appearance with the team.
Hall finished tied for third and carded his lowest round of the year with a six-under 66 during the second round during last season's Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate. This spring, the senior has a stroke average of 73.8. In six rounds of competition on the River Course, Hall has an average round total of 71.2 and has finished in the top-three in both events.
Kennedy has competed in three events held at Sevierville Golf Club and averages 76.1 strokes per round, while Reese has an average of 76.6 strokes in eight rounds; the junior finished sixth at last season's Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate. Devault, Headrick and Hurt do not have a competitive round on the River Course.
"It's a really good field. It's a good test for our guys and we get to do it on our home course," Wylie said. "It's kind of a nice mix for us to play in an away event at our home course. It's a little rare.
Along with the Eagles and Golden Eagles, the teams that are set to compete in the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate are: Austin Peay, Evansville, Jacksonville State, Murray State, Oakland, Samford, Southern Illinois Tennessee State, University of Tennessee – Martin, Western Kentucky and Wright State. The Eagles finished 13th in the tournament last season.
The Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate will be a three-day, 54-hole event. The River Course plays as a par-72 and stretches 7,120-yards. The course plays along and crosses the Little Pigeon River and is nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Named after the late, great Tennessee Tech head coach, the fourth-annual Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate will feature a different format for the 2016 tournament. For the first time, the event span three days rather than two, with single rounds taking place each day. Last year, Jacksonville State took home the team title, carding a three-round score of 852 (-12), which was the lowest 54-hole score in tournament history. The Gamecocks' third-round total of 277 was also the lowest in the history of the event. Southern Illinois and Murray State tied for second with scores of 861 (-3). Tomasz Anderson of Jacksonville State claimed individual medalist honors by shooting three rounds under 70 for a three-round total of 205 (-11), the lowest 54-hole total in tournament history.
The tournament begins on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start. Results and a recap of each day's events will be available following the conclusion of competition.
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