Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina men's golf team opens its amended fall schedule on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 21-22 at the Scenic City Collegiate, hosted by fellow Southern Conference member, Chattanooga, at The Honors Course, a par-72, 7,290-yard facility in Ooltewah, Tenn.
 
The men's golf tournament represents WCU's first intercollegiate competition since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of events back in mid-March.
 
Monday's schedule includes 36 holes of continuous play with an 8:00 am shotgun start with the final 18 holes set tee times off the first and 10th tees beginning at 8:00 am on Tuesday. The final round is slated to have live coverage from the 18th hole on ESPN3 beginning at 12:30 pm with the broadcast to have access to both the par-3 16th and the tee box on No. 17. The announce team includes Chris Goforth and Scott Altizer.
 
In addition to WCU and the host Chattanooga Mocs, the 10-team field also includes SoCon-foes ETSU and Mercer. Rounding out the field are golfers from UAB, Central Arkansas, Dalton State, Georgia Southern, Little Rock, and Middle Tennessee. Each school will play in threesomes within their team with six players playing per squad with the top four scoring rounds counting.
 
"We are extremely excited to be back in action this week for so many reasons," said WCU head coach Tim Eckberg. "First, it's been six long months since our last event and it seems like the calendar has just crept by. Secondly, we get to be the first ones representing the purple and gold this fall which is an honor that we've probably never had before. And finally, we have an incredible place to play golf at The Honors Course. This is one of my all-time favorite golf courses and facilities. It has an ambiance to it much like our own Country Club of Sapphire Valley, where when you arrive on property, everything seems right in the world."
 
Established in 1983, The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., hosts a collegiate event for the first time since the 2010 NCAA Men's Golf Championships having also hosted the 1996 NCAA Championships. UTC is hosting an event at the facility for the first time since 2006. The course has also hosted major events such as the 1991 United States Amateur, 1994 Curtis Cup, 2005 United States Mid-Amateur, 2011 United States Senior Women's Amateur, and the 2016 United States Junior Amateur.
 
Eckberg's scoring six for the opening event includes one senior, two juniors, two sophomores, and the program's lone freshman. Last season's leading scorer – and two-time SoCon Men's Golfer of the Week – sophomore Pierre Viallaneix leads the squad into its first competition. The Apopka, Fla., native posted a seasonal stroke average of 72.48 over 21 rounds last season. He will be flanked by classmate Magnus Pedersen. The Norwegian-born striker is coming off a freshman season scoring average of 73.90 and finished fourth at the match play championship in Norway during the summer of 2020.
 
Senior Michael Coe, who has competed in 25 career tournaments, is joined by rising juniors Tumi Kúld and Louis Theys while true freshman Presten Richardson from Miller, Mo., qualified for the fall-opening tournament. Kúld finished third on the squad a season ago in scoring average at 74.06 with all but one of his 17 total rounds carded in the 70s. Theys claimed his fifth club championship in his home country of Belgium in July 2020.
 
"Last year's season ended in a way and at a time that has made this past six months seem even longer. We were – and in many ways still are – a young team. We were just finding our stride and gaining confidence, showing our players belonged at this level last spring," said Eckberg. "Pierre and Magnus had incredible freshman seasons with Pierre having arguably the best freshman year in the history of our program. At the same time, Tumi and Louis continued to improve their games, and had much better second seasons."
 
He added, "Our last event in Fort Lauderdale was our best and we have all been chomping at the bit to get back out and continue to show what we're capable of. We have everyone back this fall and add a very talented young player in freshman Presten Richardson, who showed his ability quickly, qualifying second overall for this event. The future is bright and I'm looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish."
 
Due to the current health crisis, spectators will not be allowed at this season-opening event. Inputted by each coach, live scoring will be available online through GolfStat.com.