BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men's golf team has announced the 2018-19 schedule. This season's slate will feature three new events that, in combination with many of the traditional events, will provide the Hokies with a challenging schedule for the upcoming season.
"We always strive to pit our players against the nation's best. This season's tournaments certainly meet that goal and we are pleased to add three new outstanding events to our already demanding schedule," head coach Jay Hardwick said. "We open the season at the Rod Myers Invitational, formerly the Iron Duke Classic, named in memory of the long-time Hall of Fame Duke golf coach. We are excited to return to Duke Golf Club where we finished 8th in the 2001 NCAA Golf Championship. The inaugural Old Town Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest in late September, will be a terrific event at the Old Town Club in Winston-Salem and features five ACC teams. Our other new event is the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, GA, during spring break. The Schenkel, named for renowned sports announcer Chris Schenkel, historically attracts some of the top teams in the country and we are honored to be included in the field."
The Hokies open the season at the Rod Myers Invitational on Sept. 8-9 at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. Tech has played in this event, previously named the Iron Duke Classic, in years past.
Tech then returns to the Janney VCU Shootout on the Tuckahoe Creek Course of the Country Club of Virginia on Sept. 17-18. The Hokies won the tournament in 2017, as 2017 graduate Joey Lane took home medalist honors. Tech has won four of the last six VCU Shootouts.
The second of the new events is the Old Town Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest at the Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sept. 24-25 This is the first year of the event, which will feature five ACC teams.
The Hokies will once again travel to the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Blackthorn Club on Oct. 12-14. Tech closes out the fall portion of the schedule at the UNCG Grandover Collegiate on Oct. 27-28 at the East Course of the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Hokies will open spring competition at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan on Feb. 17-19. This tournament, hosted by Purdue, annually attracts perhaps the top field in all of collegiate golf and has been a constant on the Virginia Tech schedule for many years.
The third new tournament on the schedule will be the Schenkel Invitational. The three-day event, played March 15-17, is hosted by Georgia Southern at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Georgia. Vanderbilt won last year's event that featured a top field.
The Hokies will make their annual trip to the Furman Intercollegiate March 22-24, a long-time staple of the Tech schedule. The 3M/Augusta State Invitational on April 6-7 will see the Hokies face another outstanding field.
The regular season will end with a second trip to the Stitch Invitational at MacGregor Downs on April 12-13. The event is played at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, North Carolina and should feature several ACC teams.
Tech will compete in the 66th Annual ACC Golf Championship at the Old North State Golf Club in New London, North Carolina, April 18-20.
"The ACC is one of the top golf conferences in the country and we have to be prepared to compete week in and week out," Hardwick added.
The Hokies will look to return to the NCAA regionals this season. The six regional sites are Louisville, Kentucky, Stanford, California, Athens, Georgia, Pullman, Washington, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Rhodes, Iowa. The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship will be played at The Blessings Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas May 24-29.
The Hokies return top performer Mark Lawrence Jr., for his senior season in Blacksburg. The 2017 Virginia State Amateur champion was a semifinalist in the 2017 US Amateur. He was a 2018 All-ACC selection. He is joined by returning starters Connor Burgess and Slade Pickering, both entering their sophomore seasons, and Joey Jordan, who joined the team in March 2018 and will be a senior this season. Tech welcomes four freshman to the team this season, Drew Brockwell, Connor Johnson Jr., and Cameron Moore, all from Richmond, Virginia and Bradley de Beer from Western Cape, South Africa.