AUBURN, Ala. – The first taste of the 2024 golf season arrives this weekend with four Auburn individual players set to compete at the Thomas Sharkey Intercollegiate Feb. 3-4 at the GSU Golf Club in Statesboro, Georgia.
Graduate student Hal Dove, senior Max Johnson, redshirt-junior Ryan Eshleman and freshman Josiah Gilbert are set to compete in a field that includes competitors from host Georgia Southern, Augusta, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, ETSU, Florida, Florida State, Georgia State, Liberty, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCSB, USF, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
A 7:15 a.m. CT shotgun start will kickstart both days of competition. For day one's action, Eshleman will begin on hole 3, Gilbert will begin on 4, Dove will begin on 5, and Johnson will begin on 6.
While Tigers head coach Nick Clinard and assistant Chris Williams prepare the "A" squad to make the trip to Hawai'i for its season opener at the Amer Ari Invitational, assistant Buddy Alexander will lead the individual contingent at Georgia Southern.
No stranger to Statesboro, Alexander was a two-time All-American golfer at Georgia Southern and served as the program's head coach from 1977-1980.
"I'm excited to take this talented group to a place that is obviously near to my heart," Alexander said. "Any chance you get to play competitive golf is a chance to get better. Our goal for this weekend is to stay dialed in for every shot and respond to any adversity we face in thoughtful and patient manner. We're looking forward to the challenge!"
Live scoring for the entirety of the Thomas Sharkey Individual Intercollegiate can be found at LeaderboardKing.com.
Named for the former GSU student-athlete, the tournament honors Sharkey, who passed tragically in a house fire during the summer of 2011.
