Men’s Golf Set for The Hayt at Sawgrass Country Club This WeekendMen’s Golf Set for The Hayt at Sawgrass Country Club This Weekend

Men’s Golf Set for The Hayt at Sawgrass Country Club This Weekend

by Justin Wilson

ORLANDO – For the fourth consecutive year, the UCF men’s golf team will compete in The Hayt hosted by North Florida in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, at Sawgrass Country Club this weekend from Saturday, March 9 to Monday, March 11.

The 54-hole event will feature 18 holes of play each day. The teams will have split tee times throughout the tournament with UCF’s first tee time at 8:40 a.m. Saturday morning. Fans can follow the action on GolfStat.com.

UCF’s lineup was made by a coach’s selection for each spot in the lineup. The decision was based off the totality of each player’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, UCF tournament play, UCF practice evaluation rounds, daily team range practice, team workouts, attitude, academic standing, and overall effort/results.

Egor Eroshenko, Chase Haygood, Hans Risvaer, Gustav Anderson, and Cooper Tate will represent the Knights at The Hayt, while Marc Keller will compete as an individual.

The Knights will face a very challenging field that features five teams ranked among the top 25 of the latest Clippd Rankings, including the nation’s top-ranked team North Carolina. Virginia is ranked No. 13, while No. 21 Alabama, No. 23 Duke and No. 25 North Florida round out the group among the country’s top 25 and Ohio State is one spot shy at No. 26. South Florida, ranked No. 40, Louisville checks in at No. 51, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville, Liberty and UTSA join UCF in the field.

Last year, the Black and Gold finished sixth in the event behind a 14th-place finish from Luis Carrera with a 215 (-1).

Set for its 31st year of competition, The Hayt has grown into one of the premier events in collegiate golf. Considered by many the first collegiate major of the season, the event traditionally features a field loaded with some of the nation's top programs. 

Formerly known as the Queen's Harbor Intercollegiate before being named the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, the tournament's prestige grew and grew as the years went along. Finally in 2007, the event became known as the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational (The Hayt) in recognition of the support provided to the tournament by longtime UNF golf enthusiast and local Jacksonville businessman, John Hayt.

After eight years at Queen’s Harbor Country Club, the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational moved to Ponte Vedra Beach’s Sawgrass Country Club in 2000. The course was founded in 1974 and is a distinguished 5-Star Platinum Club. The Players Championship, a tournament on the PGA Tour, used to take place on this course from 1977-1981 before transitioning to The Players Stadium Course.