One of the premier spring tournaments of the collegiate season, the Linger Longer Invitational features 16 teams competing for 54 holes in both team and individual stroke-play format on the award-winning Landing layout which will play to 7,051 yards (par 72) and was designed by golf course architect Bob Cupp.
Hosted by Mercer University and Kennesaw State University, the Linger Longer Invitational is a showcase for teams from coast to coast, with the University of Georgia returning to defend a championship it has won three times (2006, 2007, 2009).
“We continue to enjoy the participation of a great field every year, on a golf course that is in great shape and provides an ideal test,” said Coach Andrew Tredway of Mercer University, which finished a solid fourth last year. “The support of the participating coaches, their schools and Reynolds Plantation is outstanding.”
Last year the top-ranked Bulldogs captured a showdown of No. 1 vs. No. 2 by finishing two strokes ahead Oklahoma State, with a winning total of 867, only 3 over par. Individually, OSU’s Trent Whitekiller, then a junior, earned his first career victory by only one shot, finishing at 208, 8 under par.
This year, joining Golfweek magazine’s top-ranked Cowboys and No. 21-ranked Bulldogs as leading contenders are No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 12 Alabama and No. 22 Georgia Tech. The field is rounded out by Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Furman, Louisville, Oklahoma, San Jose State, South Alabama and South Carolina-Aiken.
Since its inception, the Linger Longer Invitational has been played on courses that are part of the Reynolds Plantation collection – The Oconee Course the first two years, and The Landing the past two.
Individually, the tournament will showcase a field full of all-Americans, with nine of the Top 20 players in the 2010 season rankings scheduled to compete, including No. 1 Peter Uihlein, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Orlando, Fla.; No. 2 Bud Cauley, an Alabama sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., No. 3 Russell Henley, a Georgia juni0r from Macon; No. 5 Hunter Hamrick, an Alabama sophomore from Montgomery; and No. 6 Morgan Hoffman, an Oklahoma State sophomore from Wyckoff, N.J.
The first golf course built on popular Lake Oconee in 1986, The Landing features a Scottish-style variety of holes that wind through naturally wooded areas and rolling hills, with three holes that wrap dramatically along the lakeshore.
Spectators are welcome to walk the course with the teams. Admission to the Invitational is free.
About Reynolds Plantation
Named the “Best of the Best” Golf Community by Robb Report and the community with the “Best Golf” in America by the editors of GOLF Magazine, Reynolds Plantation, located between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, is situated along 374 miles of shoreline on Lake Oconee. Reynolds Plantation features 117 holes of championship golf from designers Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Jim Engh. Reynolds Plantation is also home to he Reynolds Golf Academy, as well as the exclusive TaylorMade Kingdom. The community offers members a variety of dining options, swimming pools, pedestrian trails, four full-service marinas and The Lake Club Wellness Campus with its award-winning Tennis Center. Reynolds Plantation is also home to The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa ranked No. 5 in the “Top 100 Golf Resorts” worldwide by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine.
