University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Hope to Catch Fire at Augusta Invite
4/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
2010 Augusta State Invitational: The Gophers will once again be part of the field at the Augusta State Invitational, this being The 32nd annual, that will take place on April 3-4 at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The invitational, hosted by Augusta State University, is in its 29th year at Forest Hills, a par-72, 7,231 yard course.
Forest Hills was designed and developed by the internationally famous Donald Ross in 1926 and was one of the original hosts of Booby Jones' Grand Slam of Golf in 1930. Augusta State will look to defend its 2009 victory and Augusta State's Taylor Floyd is the defending individual champion. Floyd's 54-hole score of 14-under in 2009 was the second lowest 54-hole score in tournament history.
The tournament's 54 holes will be played over two days. All participants will play 36 holes on Saturday, April 3rd starting at 8:30am. The final 18 holes of play will take place on Sunday with tee times beginning at 9:00am.
Live scoring can be found every three holes on www.golfstat.com.
The Field (alphabetical order with Golfweek rankings): Alabama (18th), Augusta State (3rd), Chattanooga (30th), Clemson (14th), Coastal Carolina (65th), Duke (33rd), Georgia Southern (67th), Georgia State (126th), Houston (125th), Illinois (8th), Kent State (47th), Lamar (57th), Minnesota (98th), South Carolina (17th), Tennessee (27th), UNC Greensboro (102nd), USC Aiken, Virginia Tech (56th).
The Gophers' Lineup: Seniors Ben Pisani and Thomas Campbell, junior Donald Constable, redshirt freshman David Haley Jr. and true freshman Erik Van Rooyen.
Last Time Out: The University of Minnesota men's golf team played consistently all weekend and posted three of the best scores of the season at the FAU Spring Break Championship. The Gophers combined score of 878 for the weekend was their best score since posting an 867 at the Wolverine Invite in September. However, the entire field at the Spring Break Championship, hosted by Florida Atlantic University, played well and Minnesota's score was good for eighth place.
Junior Donald Constable, playing in only his third tournament as a Gopher, led Minnesota on the weekend thanks to a season best two-over par 215. Constable, who finished in a tie for 13th place, opened with a three-over 74 on Friday but rebounded to card rounds of 70 and 71 in his final 36 holes.
Senior Ben Pisani captured his seventh top 20 finish of the season, as he tied for 19th place with a 54-hole score of 217 (72-72-73). Pisani went in to the championship with a team and career-low stroke average of 71.5.
Redshirt freshman David Haley Jr. posted a two-over 73 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 39th place with a three-day score of 223. Freshman Erik Van Rooyen and sophomore Derek Chang rounded out the Minnesota lineup by finishing in a tie for 64th and 79th, respectively.
Up Next: The Gophers will take two weeks off before heading to Indianapolis for the Indiana Invitational on April 19-20. Crooked Stick Golf Course in Carmel, Indiana and the Hoosiers will play host to the invitational.
Players Mentioned
