UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's golf team will open its 2021 spring season with the Big Ten Match Play Championship in early February with five regular-season tournaments scheduled through April. One of the highlights of each year, the Rutherford Intercollegiate, the Nittany Lions' home tournament, is set for April 17-18 on Penn State's Blue Course.
Penn State returns all five starters and all 10 letterwinners from last year's squad. Momentum from the Nittany Lions' last three events, including a top-three tournament finish at the 2020 Florida Gators Invitational, had moved Penn State into position for a potential NCAA Regional berth.
"We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to compete once again," said Penn State men's golf head coach Greg Nye. "We have an awesome team returning for us this season and a schedule, very similar to last spring, that provides us with challenges and opportunities to bring out our best."
The Nittany Lions head to Palm Coast, Florida, and the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort for the seventh annual Big Ten Match Play Championship Friday-Saturday, Feb. 5-6. Penn State advanced to the final match in 2020 and looks to challenge for the title again.
The second week of the season brings PSU to the Florida Gators Invitational Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 13-14.
"Playing at the Big Ten Match Play Championship and then a week later, we'll be competing with nearly the entire Southeastern Conference and other fantastic programs just to the season started," Nye commented. "It will have an NCAA Regional feel in February!"
Another return event for the Nittany Lions in 2021 is the General Hackler Championship at the Dunes Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The three-day tournament, hosted by Coastal Carolina, is the only competition in the month of March.
Penn State's home tournament, the Rutherford Intercollegiate is set for the 44th edition of the event Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18. Thirteen teams have made plans to join the Nittany Lions on the Blue Course.
The final regular-season tournament brings Penn State to the Kepler Intercollegiate at Ohio State for the seventh time in as many seasons. The Scarlet Course will play host to the event Saturday-Sunday, April 24-25.
Postseason play begins at the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, Friday-Sunday, April 30-May 2. NCAA Regional Championships are slated for May 16-19 and the NCAA Championships, to be held at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, are scheduled for May 28-June 2.
