Tweet

Blacksburg, Va. – Three new events, including a new season-opening event at historic Olympia Fields in suburban Chicago, highlight the 2014-15 Virginia Tech golf schedule. The Hokies will be aiming for a ninth consecutive NCAA appearance this season.

“We look forward to building on the success we had the past few seasons and are very excited that our 2014-15 tournament schedule will feature some of the top events in collegiate golf, as well as three new events,” head coach Jay Hardwick said. “We are pleased to have been invited to the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, one of the top tournaments in college golf, which goes along with our philosophy of playing against the nation’s best.”

The first new event on the schedule is the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational. The tournament, hosted by the University of Illinois, traditionally has one of the strongest fields in collegiate golf. The event is played at Olympia Fields Country Club in suburban Chicago, a club that has hosted two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. Last year’s Fighting Illini Invitational was won by eventual national champion Alabama.

Next, the Hokies will compete in the VCU Shootout on the Manakin Course of the Hermitage Country Club on Sept. 22-23. Tech has won each of the last two VCU Shootouts, and senior Scott Vincent won the individual title at last season’s event.

The second of the three new events will take place Sept. 29-30, as the Hokies will play in the inaugural Primland Invitational at the Primland Resort in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. The first-year event will feature five ACC schools, plus Tennessee and Auburn from the SEC.

Next, on Oct. 10-12, Virginia Tech returns to the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Blackthorn Club. The Hokies finished second in last season’s event, and Vincent won his third individual title of the fall at the tournament. Tech will complete the fall season at the UNCG Bridgestone Invitational on Oct. 25-26 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Hokies open spring competition at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan on Feb. 22-24. This tournament annually attracts perhaps the top field in all of collegiate golf. National champion Alabama won each of the last two Puerto Rico Classics.

Tech will look to defend its title at the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, on March 14-15. Trevor Cone won individual honors at last year’s event. The Hokies and Cone will also look to repeat as champions at the Furman Invitational March 27-29.

The 3M/Augusta State Invitational April 4-5 will see Tech face another outstanding field. The regular season will end with the third of the new events, the Yale Spring Invitational. Yale will host one of the six NCAA regional fields this season and this year’s event will attract a large number of teams hoping to get playing time on one of collegiate golf’s great courses.

The post-season will begin on April 24-26, as Tech will compete in the 62nd Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Golf Championship at the Old North State Golf Club in Badin Lake, North Carolina. The Hokies finished fourth in last season’s event.

The Hokies will be aiming for their ninth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance in 2015. This year’s sites are the UNC Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hosted by the University of North Carolina, The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Indiana, hosted by Ball State, The Farms Golf Club in San Diego, California, hosted by the University of San Diego, The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by Texas Tech, Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Washington, hosted by Washington and the Course at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, hosted by Yale. This year’s NCAA Men’s Golf Championship will be held at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, hosted by the University of South Florida.

The Hokies return four starters from last year’s team that advanced out of the NCAA Auburn Regional in Auburn, Alabama, and finished 28th at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, played at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, hosted by Wichita State University.

For updates on Virginia Tech men's golf, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MGolf