Friday, October 20
Paradise Island, BF
Southern Illinois University
vs
White Sands Bahamas Invitational
Credit: Ronnie Archer
SIU Opens White Sands Bahamas Men’s Invitational Tomorrow
10/19/2023 | 2:22:00 | Men's Golf
PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS- Southern Illinois begins the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island, Bahamas tomorrow. This tournament is a nine team field and St. Mary's is the favorite to win the 54-hole tournament, which will last Friday through Sunday.
"Looking forward to an unbelievable experience in the Bahamas this week," said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. "Not every day do you get to experience a unique opportunity like this one so it will be good to soak up the experiences while also competing to put things into perspective a little more."
The Dawgs will have six players competing this weekend, with Carsen Silliman being the sixth in the lineup as an individual. Leon Heitz, Edouard Cereto, Andrew Thornton, Hugo Archer, and Dain Richie are the five Salukis who will account for the team score this weekend in the Bahamas. SIU's best finish this season as a team was a runner up position for the Wildcat Fall Invitational at Kansas State, only five shots out of the title spot and six shots ahead of third place.
"We've had a really good last couple of weeks of practice and qualifying. I have liked our focus, our attitude and our desire to see improvements in our games both mentally and physically. As cliche as it might sound, if we can just get in the frame of mind this week to just go play golf, I really like our chances of doing something special. We just need to focus on competing and only on the things we can control and if we do that, it will be a great week."
Cereto is having a strong start to his first season competing for the Salukis. In his first ever tournament for SIU, Cereto finished tied for third in the ANF Fall Classic in Iowa with a score of 208 (-8).
Heitz is fresh off leading Southern Illinois at the G-MAC Invitational, as he was tied for 11th on the individual leaderboard and didn't have a single round over par over the three days.
Archer's best tournament this fall was his 218 score (+2) at the ANF Fall Classic in Iowa.
Other teams competing are Georgia State, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, North Texas, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, Wichita State and Wofford. This is the fourth year for the annual golf tournament, which was previously played at the Ocean Club Golf Course in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Houston, Mississippi and Duke are the past men's winners over the 7,159-yard layout designed by past major champion Tom Weiskopf.
For more coverage of the 2023 White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational, follow @WhiteSandsBah on social media and use the following hashtags: #WhiteSandsBahamas and #WhiteSandsNCAA or visit WhiteSandsBahamas.com
ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly-away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating and thousands of miles of the earth's most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to see why "It's Better in The Bahamas."
ABOUT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE
Atlantis Paradise Island's Ocean Club Golf Course offers a challenging and beautiful course for golfers desiring championship play. Masterfully conceived, the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretches over 7,100 yards on Atlantis' peninsula. The course has hosted iconic sporting events such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. For more information about Atlantis Paradise Island resort and the Ocean Club please visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.
Stay Social
For the latest on Southern Illinois Men's Golf, follow the team on Twitter (@SIU_MGolf), Instagram (@SIU_MGolf), and like the team's official Facebook page (SalukiMGolf).
"Looking forward to an unbelievable experience in the Bahamas this week," said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. "Not every day do you get to experience a unique opportunity like this one so it will be good to soak up the experiences while also competing to put things into perspective a little more."
The Dawgs will have six players competing this weekend, with Carsen Silliman being the sixth in the lineup as an individual. Leon Heitz, Edouard Cereto, Andrew Thornton, Hugo Archer, and Dain Richie are the five Salukis who will account for the team score this weekend in the Bahamas. SIU's best finish this season as a team was a runner up position for the Wildcat Fall Invitational at Kansas State, only five shots out of the title spot and six shots ahead of third place.
"We've had a really good last couple of weeks of practice and qualifying. I have liked our focus, our attitude and our desire to see improvements in our games both mentally and physically. As cliche as it might sound, if we can just get in the frame of mind this week to just go play golf, I really like our chances of doing something special. We just need to focus on competing and only on the things we can control and if we do that, it will be a great week."
Cereto is having a strong start to his first season competing for the Salukis. In his first ever tournament for SIU, Cereto finished tied for third in the ANF Fall Classic in Iowa with a score of 208 (-8).
Heitz is fresh off leading Southern Illinois at the G-MAC Invitational, as he was tied for 11th on the individual leaderboard and didn't have a single round over par over the three days.
Archer's best tournament this fall was his 218 score (+2) at the ANF Fall Classic in Iowa.
Other teams competing are Georgia State, Jacksonville State, North Alabama, North Texas, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, Wichita State and Wofford. This is the fourth year for the annual golf tournament, which was previously played at the Ocean Club Golf Course in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Houston, Mississippi and Duke are the past men's winners over the 7,159-yard layout designed by past major champion Tom Weiskopf.
For more coverage of the 2023 White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational, follow @WhiteSandsBah on social media and use the following hashtags: #WhiteSandsBahamas and #WhiteSandsNCAA or visit WhiteSandsBahamas.com
ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly-away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating and thousands of miles of the earth's most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to see why "It's Better in The Bahamas."
ABOUT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE
Atlantis Paradise Island's Ocean Club Golf Course offers a challenging and beautiful course for golfers desiring championship play. Masterfully conceived, the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretches over 7,100 yards on Atlantis' peninsula. The course has hosted iconic sporting events such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. For more information about Atlantis Paradise Island resort and the Ocean Club please visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.
Stay Social
For the latest on Southern Illinois Men's Golf, follow the team on Twitter (@SIU_MGolf), Instagram (@SIU_MGolf), and like the team's official Facebook page (SalukiMGolf).
Players Mentioned
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