Buccaners kick off spring at JU Invitational

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The 2010 spring season starts with a bang for the Charleston Southern men’s golf team as they head to the JU Invitational, beginning Sunday, February 7 at the famed Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass. The event is the first of seven tournaments for Head Coach Mike Wilson’s team in 2010.

Joining the Bucs and tournament host Jacksonville University are Clemson, Wake Forest, East Tennessee State, Kentucky, East Carolina, Liberty, Old Dominion, Georgia State, Murray State, Jacksonville State, Idaho, USC Upstate and Winthrop. The event features three of the top 50 teams in the latest Golfweek national rankings.

The Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass, a 1980 Pete Dye design, is ranked as the 45th-greatest golf course in America according to Golf Digest magazine. The world-renowned course is perhaps most recognizable for its island green 17th hole, a 132-yard par 3.

The course also is the annual host of THE PLAYERS Championship, considered by many to be the “fifth major” of the PGA TOUR schedule. Past winners of the event include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Davis Love III. Mark McCumber, the 1988 champion of the event, will serve as the tournament host of the 2010 JU Invitational.

Charleston Southern is coming off of a successful fall season which saw them garner three top-10 finishes in four events. The Bucs capped the fall with a victory at the CSU Fall Invitational. Senior Kelvin Day, a two-time Big South All-Conference selection, finished 2nd at the event and won Big South Golfer of the Week honors. Buccaneers David Denlinger, Ross Thomson and Jonathan Rustin also earned top-10 finishes at the event.

Live hole-by-hole scoring of the 2010 JU Invitational will be provided by Golfstat.com. Also, live video coverage of the 17th hole will also be available on Golfstat.com, where fans can watch their favorite Buccaneers attempt to conquer the most daunting hole in all of golf.

The tournament begins on Sunday, February 7 with a practice round and college-am event. Competition begins on Monday, February 8, with two rounds scheduled to begin via a shotgun start at 8 a.m. The tournament will conclude on Tuesday, February 9, with 18 holes, starting with tee times at 8 a.m.

“The opportunity to compete at one of golf’s greatest venues is an honor for our team and our school,” Wilson said of the event. “For us, this is like playing at Fenway Park or Madison Square Garden; it’s a rare and unique experience. Needless to say, we are very excited.”