The No. 5-ranked Emory University golf team will compete in its first tournament of the spring next Monday and Tuesday (Mar. 5-6) when it takes part in the Callaway Gardens Collegiate Invitational.  The 36-hole event will be played at the 7,057-yard, par-72 Callaway Gardens Mountain View Course located in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Serving as the host of the Invitational will be Berry College.

Emory will be one of 18 teams in the hunt for the crown, with this year's field comprised of eight of the top 25-ranked D-III programs in the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll including #2 Huntingdon, #6 Methodist College and #8 Washington and Lee.

During the fall portion of the season, senior Keenan Hickton was one of three Emory players who logged all 11 rounds of play over three varsity competitions, posting an average of 73.2 strokes per outing, which included a team-best tying five rounds of par or better.  Sophomore Matt Organisak (74.1 spg) and junior Connor Yakubov (74.2 spg) were the other Eagles to see action in all 11 rounds during the fall.

Competing for Emory in its spring opener will be Yakubov, Hickton, Organisak, Stefano Butti, Anthony Muscato and Eric Yiu.

Emory enters this year's event looking to defend its title.  Last season, the Eagles topped the 18-team field with a score of 596 (297-299), one shot better than runner-up LaGrange.  

Following the Callaway Gardens Invitational, Emory will prepare for the University Athletic Association Championships, Mar. 12-32, at the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida.