By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The doors have opened on a new year for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team as the Golden Eagles set course for Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the GolfWeek Program Challenge. The season's first event, which spans three days from Sept. 6-8, will mark the first time in program history that the Golden Eagles compete in the unique tournament.

The GolfWeek Program Challenge features 18 NCAA Division I men's and women's squads from 10 different states, including the defending overall team champion, Old Dominion. The men and women will be broken up into two different divisions, with the men competing at True Blue Golf Club and the women teeing off at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. The Program Challenge Tournament will hand out titles to the top men's and women's team, along with an overall team title to one collegiate program, which is determined by the program's men's and women's combined total score.

True Blue is set up to play as a par-72, 6,920-yard challenge for the each of the competing 18 teams. A total of 90 student-athletes will battle it out for the top spot and title, representing the following teams:

Austin Peay
Bethune-Cookman
Cambell
Elon
Gardner-Webb
Houston Baptist
IUPUI
Jacksonville
Jacksonville State
James Madison
Marshall
Mercer
Morehead State
Old Dominion
Radford
Stetson
Tennessee Tech
Valparaiso

"The men are ready to get after it this upcoming weekend," head coach Polk Brown said. "We will be sending out a lot of experience to our first event, so we expect that leadership to come to the forefront once that tee hits the ground come Sunday. The men have been preparing diligently for True Blue, and we look forward to competing in the first event of the year."

Here's a look at the participating Golden Eagles:

1. Mitch Thomas (Sr.)
2. Bryce Kendrick (Sr.)
3. Matthew Giles (Fr.)
4. Adam Cunningham (Sr.)
5. Neil Gannaway (Sr.)