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Preview: '14 Collegiate Challenge Cup

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup is set to take place for the second consecutive year at the Golf Club of Tennessee.

“The club has always been supportive of amateur golf and competitive golf,” Todd Heifner, Golf Club of Tennessee general manager said. “That’s kind of the founding principles of this club have been that core golf support. To have an event like this and have it be something is important, and something the members to really hang their hat on.”

There will be team and individual champions crowned at the end of stroke play Saturday, then the “Top Conference” honor will be awarded after match play. This year the field was bumped up from 10 teams to 12 teams “for a little more exposure,” Heifner said.

Last year, Georgia took home the team title, Texas A&M’s Ben Crancer won individually, while the SEC took home “Top Conference” honors. The former is back to defend.

New teams at the tournament this year include, Missouri, Mississippi and South Carolina from the SEC, and Georgia Tech, Louisville and North Carolina State from the ACC.

“Sunday should be a fun day to play some match play, which is something you don’t get to do very often,” said head coach Bruce Heppler of first-time participant Georgia Tech. “So I think it’ll be more about having fun.”

Here are more facts about the Collegiate Challenge Cup:

WHAT: Dick’s Sporting Good Collegiate Challenge Cup

HOST: Vanderbilt and the Nashville Sports Council

WHERE: Golf Club of Tennessee, Kingston Springs – par 71, 7,184 yards

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 19 – Sunday, Sept. 21

FORMAT: ACC vs. SEC – 54-hole stroke-play event on Sept. 19-20, followed by an 18-hole match play finale Sept. 21.

PAIRINGS: South Carolina, Virginia, Texas A+M; Georgia, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech; Missouri, Louisville, Clemson; Duke, North Carolina State, Mississippi.

THE TEAMS

SEC

Georgia: Preseason No. 9; Won The Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach; Lineup: Lee McCoy, Mookie DeMoss, Nicholas Reach, Zach Healy and Greyson Sigg.

Missouri: Won the Turning Stone Intercollegiate; Lineup: Ryan Zach, Wilson Sundvold, Euan Walker, Jacob Fair and Luigi Botta.

Mississippi: Finished fourth at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate; Lineup: Conner Davis, Joe Lewis, Ben Wolcott, Blake Morris and Noah West.

South Carolina: Preseason No. 7; Won the Carpet Capital Collegiate, finished sixth at The Carmel Cup; Lineup: Will Starke, Will Murphy, Matthew NeSmith, Ben Dietrich and Caleb Sturgeon.

Texas A+M: Preseason No. 8; Finished 11th at the Fighting Illini Invitational; Lineup: Ben Crancer, Adria Amaus, Andrew Lister, Andrew Paysse and Conner Black.

Vanderbilt: Preseason No. 6; Finished second at The Carmel Cup; Lineup: Hunter Stewart, Carson Jacob, Theo Humphrey, Ben Fogler and Jordan Janico.

ACC

Clemson: Preseason No. 17; Finished sixth at the Carpet Capital Collegiate; Lineup: Cody Proveaux, Miller Capps, Stephen Behr, Billy Kennerly and Carson Young.

Duke: Finished seventh at The Invitational at The Ocean Course; Lineup: Adam Wood, Motin Yeung, Jake Shuman, Max Greyserman, and Turner Southey-Gordon.

Georgia Tech: Preseason No. 3; Finished second at the Carpet Capital Collegiate; Lineup: Ollie Schniederjans, Anders Albertson, Drew Czuchry, James Clark and Vince Whaley.

Louisville: Finished sixth at Northern Intercollegiate; Lineup: Robin Scoit-Siegrist, Trevor Sluman, J.D. Lehman, Robert Geibel and Gus Lundquist.

North Carolina State: First tournament of the year; Lineup: Carter Page, David Cooke, Jacob McBride, James Chapman and Stanhope Johnson.

Virginia: Preseason No 11; Won the Northern Intercollegiate; Lineup: Jimmy Stanger, Derek Bard, Ji Soo Park, Austen Truslow and Denny McCarthy.

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