ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's golf team is set to open its season at the talent-laden Mizuno Intercollegiate, which will be hosted by North Georgia at the Chattahoochee Golf Club, Monday and Tuesday in Gainesville, Ga.
The 54-hole tournament (Par 72 – 7,166 Yards) is scheduled for 36 holes on Monday, followed by a final round of 18 on Tuesday. Built in 1960 on 183 acres, the course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Chattahoochee Golf Club is home to 1973 Masters Champion Tommy Aaron and served as host of the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championship – where the Trojan women's team wrapped up last season by making an appearance in the national semifinals.
Expected to join the Trojans in the 20-team field that includes twelve schools in Golfstat's latest top-25 rankings - including five of the nation's top-10 squads - will be Barton, Clayton State, Columbus State, Erskine, Georgia College, Georgia Southern (Individuals), Georgia Southwestern, Lander, Lee, Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Newberry, North Georgia, USC Aiken, Wingate, West Florida, West Georgia and Young Harris.
Lee is the defending national champion and returns a trio of PING All-Americans, while Lincoln Memorial will be seeking its seventh consecutive appearance in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional this year.
The host Nighthawks are coming off their best season in school history which culminated in the program's first ever National Championship appearance. The Nighthawks return three Peach Belt All-Conference selections to a team that finished 11th in the NCAA Championship and won last week's Lander Bearcat Fall Invitational. Georgia Southwestern fell to Lee in its second consecutive Final Four appearance a year ago and finished as runners-up to North Georgia last week at Lander.
The Trojans are coming off a year that saw the team post six top-10 finishes, including three in the top-five, with the squad featuring five returning letterwinners.
Senior Reece Coleman, who is ranked 83rd nationally entering the season, returns for his fourth campaign after capturing Second-Team All-SAC recognition for the third time at the conclusion of last year. The 2020 SAC Freshman of the Year posted a team-best 72.38 unadjusted stroke average through nine tournaments a year ago, with his low round of the season (66) in the final round of Barton's Bulldog Clash equaling the third-lowest round in school history.
Junior Calahan Keever, a Greenville native, earned SAC All-Tournament accolades last season after garnering Second-Team All-Conference recognition two seasons ago. He brought home six top-25 finishes last year, while firing a 67 in the third round of the 2022 SAC Championship to claim a tie for sixth place. He also carded a pair of 68s and four 69s on the way to a 72.58 unadjusted stroke average.
Lancaster native Simon Wright finished third on the squad last season with an unadjusted stroke average of 76.09, while notching a 67 in the second round of the Camden Collegiate in early October, while posting three rounds of 73 during the year. Daniel Coker returns for his third season after owning five top-50 finishes a year ago and posting a pair of 71s - in the second round of the Donald Ross Intercollegiate and during the second round of the Tusculum Invitational. He also carded a pair of 72s during the year. Veteran Parker MacDonald claimed a 26th-place finish at last year's Tusculum Invitational, while carding a pair of even-par 72s on the season.
A pair of talented freshmen, Alejandro de Castro and Sam Norris, were brought on board by Director of Golf, Danny Neal, and Head Women's Coach, Denton Moore, to augment the AU lineup.
Golfstat National Rankings
Team Ranking
Lee 3rd (Ranked No.1 in Golfweek Coaches Poll)
Lincoln Memorial 5th
North Georgia 7th
Georgia Southwestern 8th
USC Aiken 10th
Limestone 11th
West Florida 12th
Lander 16th
Barton 17th
Columbus State 18th
West Georgia 20th
Clayton State 25th
Newberry 32nd
Erskine 35th
Lenoir-Rhyne 53rd
Anderson 64th
Georgia College 80th
Wingate 89th
Young Harris 120th
Georgia Southern^ ---
^ - Individuals
