March 25, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, in partnership with the Gwinnett Sports Commission, is proud to announce the First Annual Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational.

The tournament will be held from March 30th through April 1st at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga., and will feature men's and women's teams from 24 different schools from as far away as Wyoming. The 54-hole event is the first tournament hosted by KSU since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Division I ranks.

The men's field will be composed of 14 teams and will feature teams from seven conferences, including six from the A-Sun. The women's field will be made up of 17 teams from eight conferences, including five from the A-Sun.

"We are very excited about this event," said Kennesaw State Director of Golf Operations Dennis Stubblefield. "We have competitive fields on both the men's and women's sides which should provide some compelling action for the fans who come out."

The event will get under way with a collegiate-am held on Sunday afternoon on the Woodlands Course. Four amateurs will be paired with a students-athlete in a five-person scramble. Proceeds from the collegiate-am will go to support the Kennesaw State golf program.

The teams will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 in Tuesday's final round. The men will compete on the Woodlands Course while the women will play on the Chateau Course.

Hall of Fame golfer and Kennesaw State alumnus Larry Nelson will be the keynote speaker at a banquet held on Monday night. Kennesaw State President, Dr. Dan Papp will also speak at Monday's banquet.

"Working with Larry has really been a pleasure," added Stubblefield on the tournament's namesake. "You couldn't ask for a more helpful and supportive person to be associated with for an event like this."

Directions and other information on the event can be found by visiting the tournament's website at www.kennesaw.edu/larrynelson. Live stats will also be available for both the men's and the women's fields on golftsat.com by clicking on the Larry Nelson Collegiate Invitational link on the homepage.