April 3, 2008
Weekly Release - Marshall Invitational 
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University men's golf team will play a practice round Thursday at the Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington, W.Va., site of this weekend's 39th Annual Marshall Invitational. Both a strong field and the par-71, 6,476-yard course will challenge the Golden Eagles, who finished runner-up at the event last year behind Penn State. Marquette takes to the links for 36 holes beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT on Friday, April 4.
Participating Teams (17)
Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois, Marquette, Marshall (host), Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Ohio State, Penn State, Princeton, Rhode Island, Richmond, William and Mary, Wright State.
About the Course
Guyan Golf Course features medium-sized greens with tree-lined fairways and water comes into play on one hole. The most difficult hole is #2, a 444-yard, par 4, requiring a long and accurate tee shot up a narrow, tree-lined fairway.
Last Time Out
Marquette and Mike Van Sickle led after the first round at the Carter Plantation in Springfield, La., but the Golden Eagles finished runner-up to Middle Tennessee State for the second time this spring. Ted Gray was MU's top finisher, placing in a tie for third place with a four-over par 220 (71-75-74), while Van Sickle placed seventh.
About the Field
Only one other BIG EAST team (Cincinnati) will make the trip to Huntington. Ranked No. 70 by Golfstat heading into this weekend's competition, there's three teams in the field ranked higher than MU -- Penn State (28), Illinois (60), and Ohio State (63) -- while the Golden Eagles have posted a combined 14-5 head-to-head record this year against the field.
Ins & Outs
Marquette finished second behind Penn State at last year's Marshall Invitational after playing just 36 holes due to weather. Mike Van Sickle (-4) and Mike Bielawski (-1) placed 2nd and 4th, respectively, with each player carding a low-round of 68. The tournament 18-hole record is a 65, which has been done four times. The 54-hole record is an 11-under par 202 set in 2005.
