HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The format is gaining popularity now that it is included at both the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Championships, but despite limited experience with it the University of South Alabama men's golf team is sticking to its normal routine in preparation for Saturday's Southern Collegiate Match Play.

"We didn't do much different this week," stated Jaguar head coach Alex Hamilton.  "I think this will be a good experience for us, it will give us a better understanding of the different structure of match play.  I've been fortunate during my career to have coached in match play a couple of times including last year [at the NCAA Championship].  It's a good experience for the guys helping them get comfortable with it, hopefully we will be able to get to that point at the conference championship."

The Jags have fallen twice in match play in the last two years, first to Troy in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship last spring then to Jacksonville in September in the semifinals of the Bridgestone Match Play.  The latter outcome was decided by a 3½-2½ margin with senior Drew Cooke the only member of the lineup this weekend to earn a victory.  The trio of Jason Mendel, Peter Staalbo and Rasmus Karlsson competed with Cooke in the fall, while Brooks Rabren was part of last year's squad at the league tournament.

Both Mendel and Rabren are familiar with the venue, however, as both made their collegiate debuts at South Mississippi's Sam Hall Intercollegiate.  In two appearances at the tournament, the former has shot par or better on the final day on both occasions while recording the low 54-hole score of his freshman season with a 218 and matching a career low following a 69 in the last round in 2015.  The latter also posted the best three-round total of his first year as a Jag at the event with a 214 score that included a 2-under-par 69 over the second 18 holes; Rabren tied for 19th in the individual standings for his lone top-20 result as a freshman.

The tournament — the last of the regular season for the Jags — also includes Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, with the Golden Eagles playing host at the par-71, 6,902-yard Hattiesburg Country Club.  USM will take on the Bulldogs in the first semifinal, with the opening match slated to tee off at 7:30 a.m. (CDT), and the Jaguars and Ragin' Cajuns set to begin their first match-up 35 minutes later.  The consolation match will start at 1 p.m. with the championship between the two semifinal winners expected to get underway at 1:35 p.m.

Pairings for the morning matches will be determined at a pre-tournament event on Friday night.

"I think that [setting the lineup], more than anything, is probably the biggest thing we will get from the experience this week," Hamilton said.  "How do we want to play?  Is there a specific order we want to play in regardless of the matchup, or would we rather try and set up each match up?  I'm going to talk to the team about that, discuss what everyone's preferences are, go through it with our coaching staff and see what we want to do as far as the lineup is concerned because it is completely different from a stroke-play format."

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.

—USA—