Eagles light the candle on 2021 season at Hurricane Invitational
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- With an extended offseason in the rearview mirror due to the global pandemic, Carson-Newman lifts the lid on the 2021 season at the Hurricane Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at the Doublegate Country Club in Albany, Ga.
Hurricane Invitational Information
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With an extended offseason in the rearview mirror due to the global pandemic, Carson-Newman lifts the lid on the 2021 season at the Hurricane Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at the Doublegate Country Club in Albany, Ga.
"The preparation is quite different. Weather issues that we've had like this week has made it tough, but the kids have really worked hard on their own when they have time and are able to do that. It's very rewarding as a coach to see your kids put in work and be prepared and overcome a lot of obstacles. I'm excited about what they're doing. I think it's going to show the mental toughness they've had through the fall and the winter to get ready for the spring, and I'm excited about that."
This will be C-N's second appearance at the event that is in its sixth year. The Eagles made their debut with a 4-under 860 that was good enough for fifth-place. Tom Forster led the way for the team with a share of fifth-place, shooting a 7-under 209.
Since the start of Wylie's tenure at C-N, the Eagles have started the spring with four top-five finishes, the last one coming in 2019 with a third-place showing at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate. With the nature of this season, this event serves as the season-opener for the Orange and Blue. The Eagles have started the season with just two top-five showings since the 2014-15 season which was the same season they started with their best result in the form of a second-place showing at the Smoky Mountain Intercollegiate.
Alex Hodge (Knoxville, Tenn.) leads the Eagles into battle for the event at the No. 1 spot. He's coming off of a debut season that resulted in the second-lowest scoring average on the team, holding a 72.7 through 15 rounds of play in the 2019-20 season. This will be the third event in his career where he is the leading Eagle on the starting lineup. The last time he led the team into an event was at the South Regional Preview back in late October 2019.
At the No. 2 is Jake Mynatt (Knoxville, Tenn.), the only Eagle making a return to the field this year from last year's appearance. The junior was +7 at Doublegate in 2020, finishing with a share of 44th. Mynatt is also the only returner for C-N who played in all 21 rounds that the team saw last season, posting an average score of 74.2.
After missing all of last season with an injury, Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.) makes his return to the starting lineup as the third-seed. Tyler has not seen action since the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in 2019 when he finished in a tie for 60th at +14. In terms of career scoring, he comes into the season with the third-best average at an even 75 through 57 rounds of play.
Will Collins (Knoxville, Tenn.) is slotted at fourth in the Orange and Blue lineup after traveling to just one event with the team last season. He was +23 at the Panther Invitational, sitting in a tie for 53rd at the final event Carson-Newman played in before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a halt. In his first two seasons with C-N, the junior has averaged a 76.2 scoring clip.
Making the first start of his career is Alec Lambert (Palm Harbor, Fla.), rounding out the lineup for Wylie's group. The redshirt-freshman played at the Walters State Fall Classic back in October 2019 where he landed in 19th with a +13 157.
"The 1 through 4 guys who are going have played a whole lot of college golf and then Alec Lambert is going to get a shot in the starting lineup in the fifth spot, so I'm really excited to see how he does with that," Wylie said. "The other guys are just really experienced. Three of them have been down and played that golf course. It's a course we really like. It's terrific, so we're really excited about that. It will be able to help the guys who haven't played there because we do have some experience on that track."
No. 17 Georgia Southwestern hosts the event that boasts a field of 17 teams. Of those in attendance, 12 were either ranked or receiving votes in the Bushnell Golfweek Pre-Spring poll, including C-N who was receiving votes. Among the ranked teams are No. 2 Lincoln Memorial, T-13 Delta State, No. 15 North Georgia, T-18 Newberry and No. 25 Missouri-St.Louis.
The hosting Hurricanes won last season's invitational at 31-under, separating itself by 10 shots from the rest of the field. Delta State's Zach Zediker was the individual winner with a 203.
The tournament will be broken up over two days with Monday involving 36 holes before the final 18 are played on Tuesday. Live scoring will be found on the Golfstat mobile platform throughout both days of competition. The staff at Georgia Southwestern, weather permitting, will also provide live video coverage of two holes during the second and third rounds on the Peach Belt Conference Sports Network.
