Jayhawks look to carry momentum into Shoal Creek Intercollegiate

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s golf will head to the Shoal Creek Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, Sept. 24-25, and hope to carry the momentum from its second-place finish at the Badger Invitational which opened the 2018-19 season. The event will be held at historic Shoal Creek Golf Club and competition will begin on Monday, Sept. 24 with 36 holes and conclude Tuesday with a final round of 18 holes. 
 
Kansas will use the same line-up which finished second at the Badger Invitational, Sept. 9-11, in Madison, Wisconsin. Senior Charlie Hillier, junior Andy Spencer, redshirt-sophomore Drew Shepherd and sophomores Harry Hillier and Ben Sigel will comprise the KU five for the Shoal Creek Invitational. Senior Jake Scarrow will compete individually for the second-straight tourney. Of the six Kansas golfers heading to Birmingham, not one has played the links of Shoal Creek.
 
“I think the guys are excited to play a course with so much tradition,” KU head coach Jamie Bermel said. “A lot of college guys want to play on courses that the PGA tour plays on or has played on, so I think that adds an element of excitement.”
 
Established in 1977, Shoal Creek has hosted numerous PGA, USGA and NCAA events. Notably, the course hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship and the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open. The 7,300 yard par-72 was designed by Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus and is currently ranked No. 50 on America’s top 100 golf courses according to Golf Digest.
 
Out of the 76 golfers competing, four Jayhawks finished in the top-20 at the Badger Invitational. Harry Hillier posted his first career top-10 finish with the help of five birdies and an eagle in his third and final round, resulting in a tie for seventh place overall.
 
“We need to eliminate some big numbers and play a little more efficient around the greens,” Bermel said on what the Jayhawks need to improve on heading into their second competition. “We need to see if we can be a little more consistent from top to bottom.”
 
Including No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Vanderbilt, the Shoal Creek Invitational field consists of 13 teams. The tournament will begin as a shotgun start on Monday at 7:30 a.m.
 
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