As students bundle up against the recent cold snap that has hit Fort Worth, the men’s golf team is encountering an entirely different problem.
They’re trying to not soak up the sun too much while playing in a tournament in Hawaii.
Each February, head coach Bill Montigel takes his squad to the Hawaiian Islands, where they’ve played in various tournaments.
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This year the golf team is competing in the Amer Ari Invitational, which is jointly hosted by the University of Hawaii and their Hilo campus.
Seniors Julien Brun and Andrew Presley, junior Paul Barjon and sophomores Giulio Castagnara and Chelso Barrett made the trip.
Brun is coming off of a season in which he won the Big XII Championship and the NCAA San Antonio Regional. He also competed at the PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational.
Presley, a transfer from LSU, debuted his TCU career with a fourth-place finish at the Carmel Cup in October.
Barjon finished in the top 10 of the NCAA San Antonio Regional last year, and is known for finishing strong. He has the second-lowest final round scoring average on the team.
(VIDEO: TCU Sports Now weekly sportscast for February 5, 2015)
Castagnara averaged a 73.92 in the fall tournaments and was one of the only Frogs to compete in all four fall events.
Barrett fired a 66 to open up the Hawaiian tournament last year. His 73.76 stroke average was second-best on the team last year.
The Frogs will compete against some of the best teams in the nation. Nine of the top 25 teams in the rankings will play in Waikoloa, including No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 Texas and No. 18 Texas Tech.
The Amer Ari Invitational is now in its 24th year. The tournament will be played at the Waikoloa Kings’ Course.