AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The 2006 Administaff Augusta State Invitational presented by McCalla Raymer, LLC, will once again boast one of the top fields in the tournament’s rich history.

The tournament, now its in 28th year overall and in its second year of affiliation with Administaff, is a 54-hole, two-day event, set for Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2, at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Ga. The Invitational, which annually draws one of the strongest fields of the entire season, will feature nine of the nation’s top 31 teams.

In fact, of the 15 teams scheduled to compete, all are ranked among the top 62 in the nation, according to the latest rankings released by Golfweek magazine and Golfstat.com. UCLA, currently ranked No. 5 by Golfstat and No. 6 by Golfweek, headlines the field. USC Aiken, the top-ranked team in all of Division II, will make its first appearance in the tournament since 2002. Clemson, East Tennessee State and Tennessee, coached by former Jaguar head coach Jim Kelson, are ranked among the top 20 in the nation as well.

Augusta State captured the 2005 tournament title in dramatic fashion, staging a late rally to overtake Georgia. ASU’s winning total of 32-over 896 was the highest in tournament history. Georgia’s Chris Kirk claimed medalist honors with a winning total of one-over 217, one shot ahead of ASU’s Scott Jamieson. Kirk’s winning total was the highest score since Phil Mickelson won with a 54-hole total of two-over 218 in 1989.

Practice rounds are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. until 12 noon on Friday, March 31, with tournament action getting underway Saturday with an 8:00 a.m. shotgun start. The schedule calls for 36 holes of play Saturday on the Bluffs (Nicklaus) and Island (Palmer) nines, and 18 holes Sunday.

Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com

2006 Administaff Augusta State Invitational
Presented By McCalla Raymer, LLC
Champions Retreat Golf Club
Evans, Ga.
April 1-2, 2006
 

AUGUSTA STATE (55/49)
Clemson (14/14)
Coastal Carolina (28/25)
East Tennessee State (10/11)
Georgia Southern (57/62)
LSU (45/48)
Minnesota (21/23)
North Carolina State (29/27)
Notre Dame (61/58)
Ole Miss (48/55) Tennessee (15/12)
UCLA (6/5)
USC Aiken (1/1)
Virginia Tech (56/57)
Washington (34/31) 

 ( ) denotes rankings are from Golfweek and Golfstat as of Tuesday, March 21