Courtesy of Georgia Southern Athletic Media Relations
The Georgia Southern golf team departed Monday for its trip overseas to Scotland. Next weekend the Eagles open their fall season participating in the International Collegiate, to be played at The Torrance Club at St. Andrews Bay.
Head Coach Larry Mays enters his seventh season in charge, looking to keep a streak alive. The previous six years the Eagles have qualified for the NCAA Regionals, last year doing so by winning the Southern Conference Tournament.
Bryan Jones and Toshi Hirata are the lone seniors on this year’s squad. However, Jones and sophomore Ben Kishigan will not be making the trip.
Sophomore Jordan Johnstun is fresh off his U.S. Amateur Championship appearance. He and fellow sophomore Ryan LeFevre will be called upon to help one of the younger group of Eagles in recent years, with four true-freshmen on the roster.
“The players came in ready to go, I guess a trip to Scotland will do that for you. They have been practicing hard and qualifying has been going well. This will be an interesting year. We have a lot of young talent and a bunch of players that don't have a lot of college experience,” said Mays. “Right now it is wide open. We will depend on Bryan Jones to give us some much needed experience at the top of the line up. After that every spot is up for grabs. I do look for Ryan LeFevre and Jordan Johnstun to continue their good play from their freshman year.”
The 54-hole tournament starts Saturday with 36 holes, then the final 18 holes on Sunday. Defending champion Wake Forest returns. Georgia Southern will be joined by fellow American universities: North Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor. International competitors from the University of St. Andrews, University of Stirling and R&A Select round out the field.
“The field in Scotland is stacked with good teams; it should let us know real fast where we stand going into the year,” stated Mays. “Wake Forest, UNC, Texas A&M, Baylor, Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech are all coming off great seasons.”
Having the opportunity to play golf at the sports’ origin is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Playing at one of the world’s most recognized golf club makes this trip even more special.
“This is a once in a lifetime event for most of our players to travel back to the birthplace of golf, get to visit and play golf in St. Andrews. Our players will have a great experience in Scotland and it’ll be something they will remember forever,” said Mays. “The team will get to tour St. Andrews and mainly we will be playing golf. They (tournament committee) have a treat in store for them when they get to play Carnoustie.”