In one of its most competitive tournaments of the year, the men’s golf team will be starting one of its most unorthodox lineups.Four freshmen will round out a five-man roster today as the Horned Frogs tee off on their first day of play at the Waikoloa Intercollegiate in Hawaii.

Head coach Bill Montigel said despite the underclassman-heavy rotation, he has high hopes for the team’s chances.

“They still have to get used to college golf,” Montigel said. “I feel good about these four guys.”

Montigel said junior Drew Stoltz, the sole upperclassman of the group, is providing leadership for the young team.

“We haven’t really talked about it,” Montigel said. “He’s played in several college tournaments … I think the guys look up to him.”

The Frogs will be facing stiff competition all weekend. The 20-team field includes five squads currently ranked in the top 25 – three of which are in the top ten – including No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Georgia Tech. TCU is the Mountain West Conference’s lone representative.

Montigel said though the level of play will be high, it hasn’t been a major point of emphasis for the coaching staff.

“I think it’s a really strong field,” Montigel said. “We play with Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State (today), so that will be good experience for the young guys. Honestly, I don’t look as much at the field … I worry more about my guys being ready.”

Although the tournament is based in Hawaii – something that could be an obvious distraction for the standard college student – Montigel said environment is a problem that the team has dealt with before.

“I think there could be a distraction factor anywhere,” Montigel said. “I really don’t think it’s a big deal. These kids travel everywhere to play golf. They came here to win a golf tournament.