MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's golf program will face settings both old and new with the release of the team's 2015-16 schedule on Monday.
The Jaguars competed in six of the nine events on the regular-season slate last year, and will play a tournament in the fall at the site of the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championships. But with just five letterwinners back — including only one individual with multiple seasons of experience — the return to venues USA has competed at in previous years won't have the same advantages as in the past.
"Over the course of the last two seasons we have graduated some key players with a ton of experience. With that, we've got some solid new talent that is eager and excited to get going, which is always fun," explained head coach Ben Hannan. "For many, this will be the first time they will have seen the different courses we play, so I'll try to use the knowledge that I've gained from playing these facilities over the years and help the guys prepare based on their individual strengths and games."
The Jags played in three of the four events on the fall slate a year ago, beginning with the season-opening Sam Hall Intercollegiate on Sept. 14-15; it marks the sixth straight season that USA will be in the field of Southern Mississippi's tournament. The Jags will also return to the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic (Oct. 12-13) and Bridgestone Golf Collegiate (Oct. 25-26), which will be hosted by Georgia State and UNC Greensboro, respectively.
USA will also take part in the Sun Belt Conference Fall Preview Sept. 26-27, which will be held at the Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course, the site of last year's league championship as well as the SBC Tournament in the spring.
"This year's schedule will provide another demanding test for the team," Hannan observed. "It fit the calendar better for us to play four events in the fall, which also includes participating in the Sun Belt Conference Fall Preview. Playing the Preview will give all of our new guys a few more reps on the course where the championship will be held."
The spring season will once again begin with the Jags' home event, the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate. Set for Feb. 22-23 at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course, the field this year includes four teams that participated in an NCAA Regional last season — Auburn, Georgia State, Mississippi and Wake Forest — as well as Chattanooga, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Kansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Texas State. Including USA, seven of the 15 schools set to play in the tournament ended the 2014-15 campaign ranked among the top 100 in the country in the Golfstat.com ratings.
"Playing at home can always be a positive thing, it's nice to sleep in your own bed and obviously there is familiarity with the course. There's also added pressure, but the guys have responded in the past and we'll hope they do the same this year," said Hannan. "Playing well early always provides a good boost moving forward for the remaining schedule in the spring. An early boost could be key as this year's spring schedule is very challenging and will provide some great tests to help prepare us for postseason play."
After a two-week break the Jaguars will return to Auburn's Tiger Invitational March 6-8, then will compete at the Linger Longer Invitational on March 20-22. Play in April will include the Jags making their fourth consecutive appearance at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, hosted by Mississippi State April 4-5, before concluding the regular season April 16-17 at Iowa's Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational.
The SBC Championships will be conducted April 24-26 and take place in Sandestin, Fla., for the second straight year. Six NCAA Regionals will be conducted at sites throughout the country May 16-18, with the NCAA Championships set to be hosted by Oregon May 27-June 1.
The Jaguars have competed in an NCAA Regional on eight occasions, including advancing to national postseason play twice in the last three years.
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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