JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Following a fall that saw three top-10 finishes, two in the top-5 with a third-place finish at the McDonough Cup to close out the fall, the 15th-ranked Eagles open up their spring slate with a trip to Fleming Island, Fla. for the 2018 Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate, hosted by Lincoln Memorial, on Monday and Tuesday.
This will be the team's sixth straight appearance in the event. Wylie's team tied for fifth last year after garnering its best outing in the event with a second place finish in 2016.
C-N was led by Tom Forster (Oundle, England) last year as he recorded the team's lowest score with a four-over 217 that placed him at a tie for 11th on the leaderboard, just one stroke shy of the top-10.
Forster returns to the event this year along with Anthony Marcinelli (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.). Marcinelli finished at 81st-place on the leaderboard after not being able to participate in the second round on the first day. He recorded a 72 in the first round and a 73 in the third.
Headrick was 11-over in the 2017 tournament with a total score of 224. His best round was in the second when he recorded a two-over score of 73. He looks to keep heading in the right direction after being the overall individual at the McDonough Cup in October.
In the fall of this season, the trio garnered the lowest rounds of the season for Carson-Newman with scores of 67 each.
Also competing at the Intercollegiate for the Eagles this year are freshman Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.) and junior Alex Hutson (Newport, Tenn.). Both were a part of the travel team for the McDonough Cup while Tyler also saw playing time at the Cougar Invitational and the UNG Fall Invitational.
Will Hurt (Powell, Tenn.) and Grant Bodie (Knoxville, Tenn.) are also making appearances in the event as individuals.
The highest an Eagle golfer has finished in the past five showings is third-place, a mark achieved by Dalton Reese in 2016 when he finished at three-under par with a final score of 210 through three rounds. His lowest round that year was a 65 in the second round.
South Atlantic Conference foe 16th-ranked Lincoln Memorial returns to the event as the reigning champion this year after posting a 13-over total score of 865 a season ago. Young Harris was three strokes behind for second place while Flagler College took third with a +23 total of 875.
Young Harris and Flagler return to the 17-team field this year. Aside from C-N and LMU, five other teams from the SAC join the field including Catawba, No. 17 Coker, Tusculum, Queens and Wingate.
No. 20 Lander and No. 22 North Greenville also make appearances in the event this year.
The Golf Club at Fleming Island houses a 6,780-yard course with a par of 71.
The Intercollegiate tees off on Monday with a 36-hole tournament through the first day. The event will feature live stats through the duration of the tournament. Results and recaps will be available on cneagles.com at the conclusion of each day.
