(Photo Courtesy of Greg Kellner)
STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 11 men's golf team starts its 2018-19 campaign on Friday at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois.
Hosted by the University of Illinois, 14 teams will compete in the 54-hole event, including Oklahoma State, the defending national champion and ranked No. 1 in the Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll. The elite field includes 10 schools ranked in the top 25.
Last year, the Cardinal finished 11th at Olympia Fields, posting a three-day total of 28-over 868. Junior Brandon Wu paced Stanford with a sixth-place showing, shooting rounds of 72-67-67 to conclude at 3-under 207.
Texas A&M won the team title with a score of 3-under 837.
Friday-Sunday, September 14-16
Olympia Fields Country Club • Olympia Fields, Illinois
The Tournament
• OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
The Field
Oklahoma State (1), Alabama (2), Texas A&M (4), Stanford (t-11), Cal (t-11), Baylor (14), Illinois (16), USC (20), UNLV (23), Florida State (25), Purdue, South Carolina, Air Force and Indiana.
Cardinal Contingent
• Stanford will be represented by senior Brandon Wu, senior Isaiah Salinda, freshman Freddie Lee, sophomore Nate Menon and freshman Daulet Tuleubayev. Sophomore Ashwin Arasu will compete individually.
The Format
• Three days of stroke play. Each team will compete with five players and count the best four scores each day.
The Schedule
Stanford will play the first round on Friday with Indiana and UNLV in threesomes starting on the 10th tee from 9:15 a.m. to 9:51 a.m. CT. The second round is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 8 a.m. CT, followed by the final round Sunday at 7:30 a.m. CT.
The Lowdown
• Stanford qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships for the 11th time in the last 14 years.
• The Cardinal is led by seniors Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda. Wu was an All-Pac-12 first team selection in 2017-18 and registered a team-best three top-five finishes and 70.61 scoring average. Salinda earned honorable mention and sparked Stanford at the NCAA's, where he secured a squad-best tie for 15th and was chosen PING All-American honorable mention by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
• True freshmen Fred Lee from Churchlands, Australia and Daulet Tuleubayev from Almaty, Kazakhstan, will make their collegiate debuts at Olympia Fields.
The Course
• Teams will play the North Course, one of two at the club. It measures 7,200 yards and plays to a par-70. Designed by Willie Park Jr. in 1919, the course has been ranked among the top 100 in the country by Golf Digest for 20 consecutive years and has hosted many important professional and amateur championships, including the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Open, 1925 and 1961 PGA, five Western Opens, and 2015 U.S. Amateur.
The Coverage • Live results will be available at GoStanford.com, with updates available on Twitter (@StanfordMgolf), Facebook (StanfordMgolf) and Instagram (@StanfordMgolf). Daily recaps can be found at GoStanford.com.