Kansas Heads Back to Texas for Price’s Invitational

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – After beginning the 2015-16 campaign with four top-five finishes, including a team victory and an individual win, the Kansas men’s golf team will look to continue its early season success as the Jayhawks travel to El Paso, Texas to compete in the Price’s Give ‘Em Five Invitational. 
 
The three day event will take place from October 23-25 at Butterfield Trail Golf Club, where Kansas has participated before, as this is the second time in as many years KU has played on the par-72, 7,307-yard course.  Last season, the Jayhawks finished third in the event consisting of 14 teams.  
 
“There have been a couple of the tournaments we played in (this season), where we’ve had three and sometimes four guys that have played the course before, so I think that always helps.  It helps when two seniors have quite a bit of playing experience,” KU head coach Jamie Bermel said.
 
Representing the Jayhawks are seniors Ben Welle and Connor Peck, junior Chase Hanna, sophomores Daniel Hudson and Jacques Wilson and freshman Charlie Hillier.  The three upperclassman have all participated in the event in years prior, so their experience will be heavily relied upon this weekend.
 
Welle, who has jumped off to a hot start this year, currently leads the team in scoring average per round (71.11) and has picked up an individual tournament victory at the Ram Masters Invitational in the process.  In last year’s tournament, Welle shot a season-low 206 (-10) at the Price’s Invitational, which was good enough to place in the top-10 (T9).
 
Playing in his fifth tournament of his senior campaign, Peck has been one of KU’s more consistent players thus far in the season.  He heads in this weekend’s tournament shooting an average of 72.58 strokes per round and recording five total rounds of even or under par, which both ranks second on the team.   
 
As the leading scorer for the Jayhawks last season, Hanna will look to return to the course where carded an astonishing career-low 200 (–16) at Butterfield Trail Golf Club.  He shot below par in every round to help him set a new Kansas all-time record for the best three-round performance.
 
In Hudson’s last tournament, he placed tied for fifth, which is the highest finish of his career.  He hopes to build on top of that performance and continue to perform at a high level, as he has averaged 72.25 strokes per round in his last four rounds of play.
 
This is going to be Wilson’s first time playing in an event this season.  He will be participating as an individual for the second time of his career, the first coming last season where he finished tied for 13th at the Desert Shootout.
 
Rounding off the Jayhawks is Hillier, who will partake in his fifth tournament of his young career.   As a freshman, the New Zealand native, leads the team in strokes per first round, where he shoots an average of 69.75.  He has already placed in the top-25 three times, including a top-10 finish at the Badger Invitational, where he tied for eighth.
 
Joining Kansas in the 15-team field is host-UTEP, Air Force, Army, George Washington, Idaho, Marquette, New Mexico State, San Jose State, St. Mary’s, Texas State, UMKC, UTSA and Western New Mexico.

Tee off is slated for 8 a.m. MT.  For live stats and scoring, the event can be followed on golfstat.com.
 
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