Men’s Golf Takes on Second Tournament of the Spring at University of Houston’s Border Olympics

Live Scoring | Monday Pairings

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Following a three-week break from competition, the SFA men's golf team returns to tournament action this week at the University of Houston's Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas. The Lumberjacks will play 54 holes of golf over Monday and Tuesday, March 11-12 at the Laredo Country Club as SFA's second tournament of the spring season.

The Format
The first two rounds of the three-round, 54-hole Border Olympics will take place Monday, March 11 with the first 18 holes of play beginning at 8:30 a.m. in a shotgun start, followed by round two in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 the tournament will conclude with the third and final round getting underway once again at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.

The Course
The Laredo Country Club features a long par-72, 7,375-yard course that is considered by many as the hidden oasis of south Texas. Built on over 160 acres, the course provides an unexpected level of difficulty combined with strategically designed putting greens. Designed by Mr. Joe Finger, the course is one of the most distinctive and strategically designed courses in south Texas.

The Tournament Field
A total of 17 teams will take the Laredo Country Club greens Monday and Tuesday as SFA is one of four Southland Conference programs competing at the Border Olympics. Sam Houston State, Lamar and Houston Baptist will also be joining the 'Jacks in Laredo. The tournament field features two top-45 teams with Arkansas State, who is No. 20 in the latest Golfstat rankings (March 7), and 45th-ranked Campbell teeing off at the Laredo Country Club. Host Houston, in addition to Bowling Green, Arkansas-Little Rock, New Mexico State, Oral Roberts, Southern Miss, Louisiana-Monroe, Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, UTSA and Texas A&M International make up the remaining Border Olympics field.

The Lineup
Led by seniors Jake Hendrix and Angelo Leyvani, SFA's lineup in Laredo will consist of sophomore Steven Fabik, freshman Alec Brown, sophomore Justin Benson and redshirt sophomore Austin McKinney competing as an individual. For both Brown and Benson, the Border Olympics will be just the third tournament each has teed off in as a Lumberjack.

Tee Times
SFA will be paired with HBU, UTRGV and Bowling Green for Monday's first two rounds, teeing off from holes 12-16. Hendrix will begin on hole 12 Monday morning, while Leyvani will start on hole 13 and both Brown and Fabik from hole 14. Benson will tee off of hole 15 as McKinney will start on hole 16, paired with individual golfers from Houston, Lamar and ULM.

Last Time on the Links
Beginning their spring slate of tournaments at the LaTour Intercollegiate in Matthews, Louisiana, the 'Jacks posted a third-place finish among 12 teams. SFA finished ahead of six fellow Southland programs and was just one stroke behind runner-up Samford with a three-round total of 22-over 886. The 'Jacks tied the second-lowest score in the final round (9-over 297) and had three top-20 finishes. Hendrix turned in his best finish of 2018-19 by tying for fifth among 67 total golfers with an even-par 216, while Leyvani claimed his fifth top-20 finish of the season as he placed 12th with a three-round tally of 5-over 221. Rising seven spots on the individual leaderboard between the second and third rounds, Fabik tied for 18th for his best finish of the season after carding an 8-over 224.

Last Year in Laredo
A year ago at the Border Olympics, SFA tied for 13th among a highly-competitive 17-team tournament field with a three-round score of 8-over 872, the Lumberjacks' third-lowest 54-hole score of the season. Leyvani (2-over 218) tied for 44th among 97 total competitors, while Fabik (5-over 221) tied for 61st and Hendrix (7-over 223) tied for 70th. This week marks the 17th year SFA has competed in the Border Olympics, placing a program-best seventh three times, including finishing seventh among 19 teams in 2017.

Up Next…
The 'Jacks return to tournament action next week in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for McNeese's Golden Nugget Invitational, held at the Golden Nugget Country Club Monday and Tuesday, March 18-19.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack golf throughout the spring.

-SFA-

Schedule

Men’s Golf Takes on Second Tournament of the Spring at University of Houston’s Border Olympics

Players Mentioned

Justin Benson

Alec Brown

Steven Fabik

Jake Hendrix

Angelo Leyvani

Austin McKinney

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