MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – After setting program records in back-to-back competitions, the West Virginia University golf team returns to Virginia for the second straight week as the Mountaineers are set to compete in the Primland Collegiate Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest at Primland Meadows Golf Club in Meadows of Dan.

 

Max Sear, Etienne Papineau, Alan Cooke, Tristan Nicholls and Chris Williams will represent WVU at the tournament. It marks the second time this season coach Sean Covich has used this lineup as the five also played in the season opener at Kiawah Island Resort.

 

In addition to the Mountaineers and host No. 19 Demon Deacons, Big 12 foe Kansas State (No. 78) will also be in attendance. No. 83 Georgia Southern, Loyola (Md.), No. 30 North Carolina, No. 36 Penn State, No. 79 UNCW and Virginia Tech.

 

The Highlands Course at Primland Meadows is a par-72 that runs 7,102 yards.As with traditional collegiate competitions, golfers will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. The first round starts at 8 a.m. Monday with tee times off holes No. 1 and 10. 

 

“I want us to continue to play solid golf,” said Covich. “In the first two events, obviously, we played pretty well. I think we’ve played about five rounds and four have been under par. Last year, in our entire year, we only had four under par. We’re off to a good start. We need to keep the momentum going.”

 

Sear fired a 66 in the final round of last week’s VCU Janney Shootout, tying the program’s lowest round on record and setting a new two-round program low of 137 for seven under par. He posted his second top-20 finish of the season, tying for seventh.

 

Papineau registered his first career top-20 finish last week, tying for 18th at three under par with a score of 141. Cooke and Nicholls joined Sear and Papineau at both The Invitational at the Ocean Course and the VCU Shootout, while Williams previously competed at the Ocean Course.

 

Four of WVU’s five rounds this year have come under par. The Mountaineers’ first round score of 284 at Kiawah Island is the second-lowest of the new era and the lowest in relation to par at four under.