The Georgia Southern men's golf program, the Schenkel Invitational Committee, and Forest Heights Country Club are set to host the 43rd playing of the Schenkel Invitational, one of the premiere events and longest-running tournaments in college golf, March 17-19 at Forest Heights in Statesboro.
Admission is free, and spectators are welcome.
As of March 7, nine participating teams are ranked in the top-100 nationally, according to GolfStat. Army, Campbell, UCF (68), FGCU (56), Georgia Southern (20), Kentucky, Liberty (41), Middle Tennessee (76), Mississippi State (22), North Florida (34), Notre Dame (42), UAB, West Virginia and Wisconsin (66) make up the 14-team field.
Georgia Southern is ranked 23rd in the latest Golf Coaches Association of America Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, Mississippi State is 24th and North Florida is receiving votes.
Individually, seven competitors are ranked in Golfstat's top-100 in Georgia Southern's Mason Williams (80) and Ben Carr (85), North Florida's Nick Gabrelcik (8) and Robbie Higgins (79), Mississippi State's Garrett Endicott (70), Middle Tennessee's Owen Stamper (78) and Notre Dame's Palmer Jackson (89). Williams and Carr finished second and third, respectively, last year, and Jackson tied for ninth.
Georgia Southern is the only team in this year's field that has won the event. The Eagles are the defending champions, have won their home tournament three times and have won the event or earned runner-up honors each of the last five times it was contested (2020 was canceled because of COVID). Kentucky has eight top-5 finishes, UAB has four, Mississippi State and North Florida have three and UCF has two. Notre Dame took third in 2019 and second last year while FGCU finished fourth in 2021.
Kentucky makes its 23rd appearance, the most of any team in the field except for the host Eagles, and the Wildcats have played in the last 16. Mississippi State is in the field for the 12th time, while North Florida and UAB are making their 11th appearance. Campbell (13th overall), Middle Tennessee (ninth) and FGCU are playing in their third consecutive Schenkel. Notre Dame makes its 11th appearance, UCF makes its fourth appearance and Army plays in its third Schenkel. Liberty is making its first appearance, while West Virginia and Wisconsin are in the field for the second straight season.
The Youth Clinic for boys and girls in elementary, middle school and high school, which has become an annual mainstay of the event, is back again this season and scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, from 4:30-6 p.m. at Forest Heights.
The practice round for competitors is Thursday, and the first round of the tournament is scheduled for Friday with teams teeing off the first and 10th holes beginning at 9 a.m. The second round is slated for Saturday starting at 9 a.m., and the third and final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The trophy ceremony is expected to be at approximately 3 p.m. Sunday.
