BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell continues its spring schedule this weekend at the 43rd Schenkel Invitational, hosted by Georgia Southern University at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga.
 
Named for the late Hall of Fame announcer and Georgia Southern alum Chris Schenkel, the event has played host to future professionals who have gone on to win 16 major championships, most recently Justin Thomas of Alabama, the 2013 medalist, who went on to win the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships.  Among the other golfing luminaries to play in the event are two-time Master champion Bubba Watson (Georgia) and two-time U.S. Open champions Andy North (Florida) and Curtis Strange (Wake Forest).
 
The 54-hole event begins at 9:00 a.m. Friday on the par-72, 7123-yard Forest Heights layout and continues Saturday before Sunday's closing round.
 
The field includes five teams representing Power 5 conferences and is topped by host and 19th-ranked Georgia Southern.  Mississippi State (24), Liberty (41), Notre Dame (43) and North Florida (45) also enter the Schenkel Invitational with top-50 national rankings.
 
Campbell's lineup includes graduate student Henrik Lilja, plus seniors Edwin Blomander and Alejandro Cogollo, and freshmen Amadeus Susanto and Tim Holmberg.
 
43rd Schenkel Invitational
Statesboro, Ga. / Forest Heights CC
Mar. 17-19, 2023 / Par 72, 7123 Yards

Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
 
Format: 54 holes (18-18-18); 9:00 a.m. tee times Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. tee times Sunday.
 
Field: (Golfstat ranking): UAB (125), Army West Point (256), Campbell (135), UCF (73), Florida Gulf Coast (75), Georgia Southern (19), Kentucky (100), Liberty (41), Middle Tennessee State (69), Mississippi State (24), North Florida (45), Notre Dame (43), West Virginia (115), Wisconsin (66).
 
The Course: Forest Heights CC (Par 72, 7123 Yards)
Recognized as one of the finest courses in the Southeast, Forest Heights Country Club is host to the Schenkel Invitational, which draws top teams from around the country. Forest Heights is also the site of the annual Southeastern Amateur Golf tournament and has hosted the Southern Conference tournament and the Georgia State Golf Association Four-Ball tournament.  Opened in 1947, the greens were rebuilt to USGA specifications under the direction of Bob Cupp in 1993. 
 
The Schenkel Invitational
Named for Georgia Southern alum and hall of fame broadcaster Chris Schenkel, the Schenkel Invitational has been a proving ground for some of the game's best players with names like Jay Haas, Andy Bean, Jerry Pate, Andy North, Bob Tway, Scott Verplank, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Mark Calcavecchia, Bill Haas, Billy Horschel, Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas.  Past Schenkel Invitational participants have gone on to win 16 majors, most recently Thomas at the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships, and 276 PGA TOUR titles.
 
The Coach: Now in his 33rd year in charge of the Campbell men's golf program and 32nd as head coach of the CU women, John Crooks has been named league coach of the year 23 times in his tenure.  His teams have combined to earn 34 NCAA post-season trips, including 10 in a row for the women.  His teams have won 159 tournaments and with 98 career tournament titles, Crooks trails only Dan Brooks of Duke (140) on the all-time coaching victories list among Division I women's coaches.  He has guided his teams to 26 league titles, including 18 on the women's side and eight in men's competition.
 
The Lineup:
 
Graduate Henrik Lilja (Gothenburg, Sweden) ranks fifth among Big South golfers with a 72.85 scoring average and owns five top-20 finishes this season.  He opened the year with a sixth-place finish at the Badger Invitational (68-70—138) and is coming off a T12 (69-76-71—216) effort in the Battle at Briar's Creek.  Lilja has played par, or better, golf in 10 of 20 rounds this season and was named Big South golfer of the week Feb. 9.  He has compiled eight career top-10 individual finishes.
Career Schenkel Invitational history
2021: 74-74-78—226 (T50)
2022: 70-73-70—213 (T12)
 
Senior Edwin Blomander (Eksjo, Sweden) is coming off a T22nd finish in the Battle at Briar's Creek (74-72-72—218) and owns a 72.6 stroke average over five rounds.  He has three career top-10 finishes at Campbell, including a T10 at last year's Big South Stroke Play Championship.
Career Schenkel Invitational history
2022: 68-77-78—223 (T55)
 
Freshman Amadeus Susanto (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) is coming off his first collegiate victory, Feb 25-26 at the Wolfpack Individual Invitational (72-70—142), where he shot a collegiate low in the final round at Lonnie Poole GC.  The Mar. 2 Big South freshman of the week carries a 76.25 scoring average into the Schenkel Invitational.  Susanto won the 2022 Indonesia Amateur Championship and was runner-up at 2022 South East Asia Games.
 
Senior Alejandro Cogollo (Barcelona, Spain) is coming off his best collegiate finish – a runner-up showing at the Wolfpack Individual Invitational (74-69—143), where he matched his collegiate low in the final round.  He has posted a 75.6 scoring average over four events this season.  He was named Big South golfer of the week Mar. 2.
Career Schenkel Invitational history
2021: 80-79-77—236 (T74)
2022: 77-80-72—229 (T74)
 
Freshman Tim Holmberg (Uppsala, Sweden) also produced the best finish (T15) of his collegiate career at the Wolfpack Individual Invitational (72-76—148).  He has amassed a 75.3 scoring average over seven events with a low round of 71 at the Furman Intercollegiate.
 
Next: Following the Schenkel Invitational, the Camels compete in the Seahawk Invitational, hosted by UNCW at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.