Hokie ClubThe Virginia Tech men's golf team will travel to Augusta, Georgia this weekend to compete in the 3M Augusta Invitational. The two-day event, a regular stop on the Hokies' spring schedule, will be played at the par 72, 7,005-yard Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta.
The tournament annually attracts a top field. Highlighting this year's 15-team field is No. 13 Illinois, No. 21 UCLA and No. 28 Wake Forest. The Hokies and Demon Deacons are the only ACC teams in the tournament. Competing teams are allowed to stay over and attend Monday practice rounds at the Masters.
Mark Lawrence Jr., will be playing in the first position for the Hokies. The junior from Richmond, Virginia, leads the Hokies in scoring average and Crunch Time scoring average and has finished seventh (General Hackler Championship) and 11th (Furman Intercollegiate) in his last two events. He has a top five finish, plus an additional top 10 and four additional top 20 finishes this season.
Ian Hildebrand will be in the second position for the Hokies. The senior from Purcellville, Virginia, recorded his best-ever performance last week at Furman. He finished in third place individually with a 4-under 212 and two of his three rounds were under par.
Connor Burgess is third for Tech. The freshman from Lynchburg, Virginia, is fourth on the team in scoring average and tied for 22nd at Furman. He has a top five and an additional top 10 finish this season for the Hokies.
Slade Pickering will play in the fourth spot for Tech. The freshman from North West, South Africa, had his best collegiate finish at Furman, placing 28th individually. This will be his third consecutive tournament in the starting line-up for the Hokies.
Playing the fifth position for the Hokies will be newcomer Joey Jordan. The junior from Richmond, Virginia, joined the team earlier this month as a walk-on and made his collegiate debut at Furman, where he played as an individual and finished 16th overall. He will make his debut in the starting line-up this weekend.
The first two rounds will be played on Saturday, March 31, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. The final round will be played on Sunday, April 1, with tee times off one and ten, from 8:30-8:45 a.m.
This is the 40th edition of the tournament and the 37th to be played at Forest Hills. Admission is free. Live stats will be available on Hokiesports.com, via a link from Golfstat.com.