KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The end of the fall season is upon the University of South Alabama men's golf team, though the timing may not be ideal.

After recording its second third-place finish of the semester two weeks ago at the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic, USA will be back in action when play begins Sunday at The Invitational at the Ocean Course.  It will be the last of five fall events for the Jags.

"Our momentum is certainly going in the right direction coming off Georgia State's tournament, where we had our best team performance in terms of playing the type of golf that we need to play in order to reach our potential," Jaguar head coach Ben Hannan commented.  "We hope to follow that up at Kiawah Island, where the challenge will be playing a golf course we haven't seen before against a field that is very competitive.  This week is a great opportunity for us to continue to work the process."

Play will include three rounds in three days at the par-72, 7,051-yard Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course, with the opening 18 holes starting on Sunday at 6:50 a.m. (CDT).  Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com each day.

The Ocean Course played host to the 1991 Ryder Cup — known as the "War on the Shore" after a 14½-13½ victory for the United States — as well as the PGA Championship in 2012, when Rory McIlroy shot a 13-under-par 275 to win by a tournament-record eight strokes.

"We tried to do our homework through the Internet as well as different publications," Hannan said of preparing for the course.  "We've been fortunate enough to have played a lot of championship venues, so the preparation will be no different.  Oftentimes when you play a golf course for the first time, the practice rounds are more productive because you pay attention to where you can and can't hit it, where you want to put the ball depending on pin placement — focusing on the game plan that will help you play to the best of your ability.

"We will prepare as we always do, tee it up on Sunday and see what happens."

Eighth-ranked Georgia is the highest-rated school among the 13 in the field in the most recent GolfStat ratings, with South Florida coming into play at No. 17.  Also competing in the tournament is Charleston — the event host — Charleston Southern, Florida, Francis Marion, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Rice and Western Carolina.

The Gators won last year's title with an 18-over-par 882 team total, with conditions leading to a scoring average of 80.48 in the final round.

Michael Garretson enters the event second in the Sun Belt Conference with a 71.08 stroke average, having recorded a score of par or better in eight of 12 rounds during the fall campaign.  He's finished in the top 10 on three occasions, with his best finish a tie for second place at the Columbia Regional Preview in September.

Fellow junior Tyler Klava has posted a top-20 result in each of the last two tournaments — including a tie for seventh at the David Toms Intercollegiate hosted by Louisiana State the opening weekend this month — and has six rounds of par or lower to his credit.  With a 72.25 scoring average, he stands ninth in the league.

Lane Hulse is two spots behind Klava in the SBC rankings with a 72.75 figure, as the senior has finished among the top 20 on two occasions this semester.  He has carded two scores of par or lower in a tournament twice, with five on the year.  Blake Kelley has finished at par or below on four occasions to date this year, with two of those rounds coming last time out.  The senior has improved or equaled his score from the previous 18 holes in five straight rounds, entering play with a scoring average of 74.67.

After competing as an individual in each of the last two events, freshman Ryan Pope is back in the USA lineup.  He has played in all 12 rounds this fall, posting a 75.08 stroke average highlighted by a 2-under-par 69 to open the year at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate.

Last time out, the Jags finished third out of 14 teams at Georgia State's AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic with all four upperclassmen in the lineup posting top-15 performances in the individual standings.  Garretson paced the group — for the third time in four outings — with a 5-under-par 211 54-hole score to finish in a tie for eighth place, with Kelley tied for 12th one shot behind, and both Hulse and Klava tied for 15th with a 213 total.  Pope began play with an even-par 72, going on to tie for 54th place after posting a 222 three-round score.

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).

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