The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) men’s golf team will continue its spring season at the Hootie Intercollegiate, hosted by the College of Charleston from March 22 to 24 at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, South Carolina. This marks the fifth consecutive year that ETSU has participated in this tournament.
The event is significant for ETSU as the team previously achieved notable success at Bulls Bay. In 2023, the Buccaneers won the tournament and set a record with a score of 40-under-par 824. All five team members finished within the top 25, with three placing in the top ten. In their most recent appearance during the 2024-25 season, an ETSU golfer shot a third-round score of 65, finishing ninth overall for his lowest round of that season and earning his second top ten finish.
This year’s field includes teams such as Furman, West Virginia, Kent State, Missouri, College of Charleston, Chattanooga, Clemson, Florida Gulf Coast University, South Carolina, Appalachian State, Winthrop, Purdue, Coastal Carolina, Kansas and ETSU. The tournament format consists of three rounds played over three days on a par-72 course measuring 7,220 yards.
In their last outing at the Pauma Valley Invitational hosted by College of Charleston earlier this season, Veigar Heidarsson was among ETSU’s top finishers with a score of 214 (+1), tying for 34th place. Another team member recorded the first hole-in-one by an ETSU player this season during the third round and finished with a score of 69 (-2). The best single-round performance came from another Buccaneer who posted a third-round score of 68 (-3), highlighted by one eagle and five birdies. The team concluded play in eleventh place overall with a total score of 857 (+5).
ETSU men’s golf recently secured its fifth straight Southern Conference Tournament title during the current season—the first under head coach O’Callaghan—and advanced to finish ninth at the NCAA Reno Regional. Several players received Cobalt Golf Academic All-American honors following their performances this year. One standout collected three Southern Conference Golfer of the Week awards and was named SoCon Player of the Year after finishing fifth at conference championships and twenty-first at regionals. Another golfer led ETSU at SoCon Championships with a second-place finish and also represented Ireland in the Walker Cup.
