Men’s Golf Returns to Tournament Action, Competes at Sam Houston State’s Bearkat Invitational

Live Scoring | Monday Pairings

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For just the second time of the 2018-19 season, the SFA men's golf team will be competing in a tournament within its home state of Texas as the Lumberjacks are set for this week's Huntsville Toyota Bearkat Invitational. Hosted by fellow Southland Conference member Sam Houston State, the two-day, 54-hole tournament will take place at the Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas.

The Format
The opening two rounds of the Bearkat Invitational will be conducted Monday, April 1 with round one teeing off at 8:30 a.m. in a shotgun start format from all 18 holes of the course. Round two will take place Monday afternoon before the third and final round of the tournament is played Tuesday, April 2 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the morning, once again with a shotgun start.

The Course
A private golf club, open to both residents and non-resident, the Walden on Lake Conroe was ranked as best golf course in the Houston area and the fifth-best in the state by GolfDigest. The par-72, 6,756-yard championship course features three of the most beautiful golf holes, the most challenging par five and one of the best finishing holes in the Lone Star State. The course's signature par-5 11th hole has been ranked as one of the top 500 holes in the world by Golf Magazine, while the Walden on Lake Conroe golf course has hosted many prestigious events over the year, including the 2006 TGA South Amateur Championship, the 2007 Southern Texas PGA Pro Championship, the 2009 TGA Mid-America Match Play Championship, the 2010 Women's Texas Cup, the 2011 WTGA State Amateur Championship and most recently the 2017 TGA Women's Electic Championship. The course's design encompasses the natural beauty of tall Texas pines and native oak trees with four challenging holes.

The Tournament Field
A total of 16 teams will converge on the Walden at Lake Conroe Golf Club for the Bearkat Invitational with SFA and the host Bearkats being joined by four other Southland programs, including Lamar, the University of the Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and New Orleans. Other NCAA Division I teams competing in Montgomery include Texas State, UTEP, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Utah Valley, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern and Baylor. The University of Houston-Victoria, the University of St. Thomas and Midland Community College round out the 16-team tournament field.

The Lineup
The top of the Lumberjacks' lineup remains unchanged with seniors Jake Hendrix and Angelo Leyvani, in addition to sophomore Steven Fabik, leading the group. Freshmen Alec Brown and Isiah Henderson will also be in action at the Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club to complete SFA's scoring five.

Tee Times
The 'Jacks are paired with UT Rio Grande Valley and Lamar for Monday's two rounds and will tee off from holes four through seven at 8:30 a.m. Hendrix will start on hole four, while Fabik and Leyvani will tee off of hole five as Brown will get started on hole six and Henderson from hole seven.

Last Time on the Links
SFA turned in its second-lowest three-round score of 2018-19 two weeks ago at the Lake Charles Toyota Invite with a 9-under 855 at the Country Club at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The 'Jacks shot a 6-under 282 on the final 18 holes of play for their third-lowest round of the season as SFA placed 11th among an 18-team tournament field that featured three of the top-43 teams in the nation according to Golfstat. Hendrix led the 'Jacks by claiming his third top-25 finish of 2018-19, tying for 24th among 99 total golfers with a 4-under 212 after carding a career-best 6-under 66 in the final round. Freshman Johannes Gudmundsson, who competed as an individual, had his best tournament of his inaugural collegiate season by tying for 32nd with a career-best 54-hole score of 2-under 214. Likewise, Brown had his best tournament of his freshman campaign, carding two rounds at 2-under 70 to tie for 49th with a career-low three-round tally of 1-over 217.

Last Year in Montgomery
Placing third among an 10-team Bearkat Invitational field, SFA shot a 17-over 881 and improved its score each round of the tournament. The 'Jacks shot their third-lowest round of the season on the final 18 holes of play with a 2-under 286 and finished 10 strokes behind runner-up UT Rio Grande Valley (7-over 871). Hendrix shot a then career-low 5-under 67 in the third round and earned his first top five finish of his career with an even-par 216 to tie for third. Leyvani and Fabik also placed within the top 10, both tying for 10th after carding three-round scores of 7-over 223.

Up Next…
The 'Jacks will close out their 2018-19 regular season next week in Chandler, Arizona, at Wyoming's Cowboy Classic, held Monday and Tuesday, April 8-9 at the Whirlwind Golf Club.

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 Returns to Tournament Action, Competes at Sam Houston State’s Bearkat Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alec Brown

Steven Fabik

Johannes Gudmundsson

Isiah Henderson

Jake Hendrix

Angelo Leyvani

Footer

Stephen F Austin

Upcoming Events