LOXLEY, Ala. – The final event for the University of South Alabama men's golf team this fall will be the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational, which the Jaguars will host this weekend at the Steelwood Country Club.

Action on Saturday — with 36 holes scheduled to be played — begins at 8:30 a.m. (CDT), with the final round slated to tee off at 8 a.m. the following day.

The Jaguar lineup will include Sylas Elliott, Rasmus Karlsson, Jason Mendel, Brooks Rabren and Yannick Schütz, the second event in a row the five will play together.  Peter Staalbo and Justin Choi will compete as individuals also.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Steelwood Collegiate Invitational (South Alabama)
Dates: 10/28-29 (Saturday-Sunday)
Format: 36 holes Saturday, 18 holes Sunday
Start times: 8:30 a.m. (CDT) shotgun start Saturday, 8 a.m. start from split tees Sunday
Course: Steelwood Country Club (par 72, 7,096 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=14402

THE FIELD (12)
#1 Alabama, UAB, Kennesaw State, #8 Kentucky, Lamar, Liberty, Rice, Richmond, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Troy and Wofford

THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Sylas Elliott (Sr., Cullman, Ala.; 9 rds, 71.89 avg, 1 T20; 66 low 18, 213 low 54; 3 rds =/- par)
-Rasmus Karlsson (So., Fiskars, Finland; 9 rds, 72.89 avg, 67 low 18, 214 low 54; 3 rds =/- par)
-Jason Mendel (Sr., Norcross, Ga.; 9 rds, 74.00 avg, 69 low 18, 217 low 54; 1 rd =/- par)
-Brooks Rabren (Jr., Andalusia, Ala.; 6 rds, 74.33 avg, 69 low 18, 213 low 54; 2 rds =/- par)
-Yannick Schütz (So., Friolzheim, Germany; 3 rds, 72.67 avg, 71 low 18, 218 low 54)
-*Peter Staalbo (Jr., Lejre, Denmark; 6 rds, 80.00 avg, 77 low 18, 235 low 54)
-*Justin Choi (Fr., Niles, Ill.; making collegiate debut)
*denotes competing as an individual

TEE SHOTS
-Included in the field of 12 schools are two ranked in the top 10 of the Golfstat.com ratings released Tuesday, #1 Alabama and eighth-ranked Kentucky.
-This marks the second year the tournament has been contested, with the Jaguars placing fourth out of 11 schools in the final standings last fall.
-It's the first of two straight home events for the Jags, who will open the spring campaign in Mobile as well.
-Brooks Rabren's 66 in the second round of the tourney a year ago — highlighted by a hole-in-one — was the lowest 18-hole total of his collegiate career.
-Sylas Elliott tied for the low score on the team for the first time as a Jaguar at last year's event, with his 67 in the second round and 215 54-hole totals both the best he posted in his first season with the program.
-The Jaguars are coming off an eighth-place finish at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, hosted by Alabama Oct. 9-10; Elliott and Rabren tied for the team lead, ending up among the top 25 in the individual standings, after both carded three-round scores of 213.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational: "The Steelwood Country Club is a fantastic facility and a great venue for a collegiate event.  The club membership and surrounding community are a big part of this tournament, which is what makes it so exciting.  We've got some great programs coming this year, it is set up to be a great weekend of golf."
On building on momentum from the last event: "The guys have continued to work very hard as a group, we've done a lot of preparation for Steelwood.  We've done individual work as well trying to improve and focus on short game and scoring.  The guys are playing competitive golf in qualifying and are excited about this weekend."
On goals for the final tournament of the fall: "We want to just keep getting better, we want to play our best golf at the end of the spring and we took a step toward that goal at the Jerry Pate.  Typically, when we play play our best golf, all individuals involved contribute, and that's what we were able to do at the Pate and what we hope to continue at Steelwood."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.

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