Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis play in final fall tournament tomorrow
10/18/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Golf
What? Kennesaw State Pinetree Intercollegiate
Where?Pinetree Country Club, Kennesaw, Ga.
When? Monday, Oct. 19th and Tuesday, Oct. 20th
Course facts: 7,108 yards, 72-par
Who? Central Arkansas, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Memphis, Mercer, Samford, Southern Illinois, Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky, Winthrop
Tony McDaniel
SIUSalukis.com
KENNESAW, Ga.-- Southern Illinois is on the road next week for the Kennesaw State Pinetree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, Ga. The tournament starts Monday with the first two rounds, the final round will be played on Tuesday. The Pinetree Intercollegiate is the Salukis' final tournament of the fall schedule.
"This event can really help us build momentum heading into our offseason," Coach Justin Fetcho said. "In the fall, we want to play solid golf courses to identify areas that we need to improve."
SIU's travel team for the event will be senior Drew Novara, junior Matt Greenfield, sophomore Charles Hawn, and freshmen Luke Gannon and Peyton Wilhoit. Wilhoit and Greenfield have played in every tournament this season for the Salukis. Both are in their first year at Southern.
"Our scores through the first three events show that our scoring averages are all fairly consistent with one another," Fetcho said. " I like the way all of our guys compete. We have depth and that is important for us to establish. However, now is the time we are looking for someone to break out, separate themselves and potentially win a golf tournament."
This year's Pinetree Intercollegiate field features host school Kennesaw State and Memphis. The Pinetree Intercollegiate has been played annually since 2012. Kennesaw State has won all-three editions of the tournament.
Last year, Kennesaw State easily beat the rest of the field with a 30-stroke victory; it was the only school to finish under par. Individually, Fredrik Nilehn won the tournament thanks in large part to his opening round score of 64, which is a tournament record for lowest round. Kennesaw State's Jimmy Beck and Austin Vick finished second and third to complete the tournament sweep for the Owls. Nilehn will return this year to defend his title.
Pinetree Country Club plays host to the Pinetree Intercollegiate. Pinetree opened in 1962 and was renovated in 2008. Pinetree's layout winds through hills and valleys and is heavily lined by tall Georgia pine trees. The course has played host to the Georgia State Amateur Championship four times and was the home to the 2014 Georgia Open, a Georgia PGA event.
Fetcho said the team has looked good in practice and seems prepared and focused on this week's event.
"Pinetree is another fantastic golf course and will definitely present some opportunities and some challenges," he said. "I like the fact that we are going to compete on a course that provides different situations than we are used to seeing on a daily basis. We have worked hard this week on how to handle our emotions better and to deal with any adversity or challenges that are thrown our way."
