The Rhodes Invitational at Tunica National Golf Club in Tunica, Mississippi is one of the most competitive tournaments in the country on the fall calendar. Golf teams across the country have it circled on the calendar as a chance to measure up against the best teams in the nation. 

This year's Rhodes Invitational field contained four teams in the top 25 including #3 Huntingdon, #8 Sewanee, #11 Piedmont, and #23 Mary Hardin-Baylor. The field also included numerous other teams that received votes in the September 9th GCAA Coaches Poll. 

At the end of last season, after the Pirates SCAC Championship run, Head Coach Greg Sigler made it a point that he wanted his team to return to national recognition. The Pirates are on their way, finishing eighth in the field, alongside three teams who are ranked in the top 11 in the country, the host team Rhodes College and fellow SCAC opponent University of Dallas. 

In the first round, the Pirates put together a collective score of 301 on the Par 72 Tunica National, leaving them in a tie for ninth. 

Nicholas Hoisington led the team in the first round, shooting 70 with three birdies on his card. Christian Rodriguez shot a +3, 75 in his opening round while Bryce Stiemert followed two behind Rodriguez with a 77.  Austin Kelley and Logan Pullin ended two behind Stiemert with a first round with 79.

As the Pirates got comfortable with the course, the team improved by three strokes in the second round for a collective 298. Austin Kelley improved four strokes from his first round, carding a 75, and Stiemert would also improve three strokes to card a 74. At the end of day one in Tunica, the Pirates sat just inside the top 10, tied for ninth place.  

In the final round, Rodriguez scored under par for the first time in the tournament at -1. Rodriguez's consistency throughout the tournament in addition to his under-par score in the third round earned him a top 15 finish at Tunica, tied for 12th in the field. On the flip side, Hoisington's first-round 70 and ability to stay a few strokes over par earned him a top 20 finish, placing him in a tie for 18th overall. Pullin improved two strokes from his first two rounds to shoot 77 and be the fourth counting score for the Pirates. Stiemert continued to improve in the third round, shooting 73 and helping the team move up into eighth place. 

A top ten finish for Southwestern in a field full of talented golf teams will undoubtedly give them the confidence to compete in any tournament and move them towards their goal of being in the national spotlight. 

Men's Golf will have some time off before they compete on October 10th in the Trinity Alamo Classic at The Quarry Golf Course in San Antonio, Texas.