Lobos Head to Augusta For 3M Invitational

Tournament Central
 
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — The University of New Mexico men’s golf team is gearing up for the 39th-annual 3M Augusta Invitational April 2-3 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., hosted by Augusta University’s men’s golf program.
 
UNM is looking to claim the team title for the second time in three years.
 
The two-day event on the par-72, 7,005-yard course will begin on Saturday, April 2, with rounds one and two for 36 holes in a shotgun format beginning at 8:30 a.m. The event concludes on Sunday, April 3, for the third and final round with tee times off one and ten from 8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
 
This year’s field includes No. 36 Augusta, Central Florida, Coastal Carolina, No. 3 Georgia, No. 32 Houston, No. 4 Illinois, Kennesaw State, No. 43 New Mexico, No. 38 Pepperdine, Presbyterian, No. 15 South Florida, No. 45 Tennessee, No. 2 Texas, USC Aiken, and Virginia Tech.
 
Of the 15 teams, eight ranked in the top 50 and three are in the top five nationally according to Golfstat.com.
 
Last season, the Lobos title defense ended with a sixth-place finish at 2-under 862. The team’s effort was led by Andre Garcia who shot a bogey free 4-under 68 in Sunday’s final round to finish at 6-under for the tournament and T8 overall.
 
The 2016 team champion was Illinois, who shot 12-under as a team on the final day to pull ahead of runner-up Texas, and eventually finished at 27-under 837.
 
The 3M Augusta Invitational is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious collegiate golfing events in the country with a list of champions that includes Dustin Johnson (2007), Phil Mickelson (1989), Justin Leonard (1992), Chris Kirk (2005), David Skinns (2002), William McGirt (200), Heath Slocum (1996), and Tim Herron (1993).
 
The Forest Hills Golf Club carries a storied history. Established in 1926, the 18-hole course has a history stretched back to Bobby Jones beginning his Grand Slam of Golf in 1930 with a victory in the Southeastern Open. Originally designed by Donald Ross the course was renovated by the Arnold Palmer Company in 2004, the course offers traditional Southern topography with level, rolling fairways lined by trees. 
 
Live Scoring will once again be provided via Golfstat here.