FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference men’s golf championship will tee off on Monday at The Club at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, Texas, where the winner will advance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The most decorated team in Southland Conference men’s golf history, Lamar enters play with hopes of winning a fourth consecutive championship, a feat accomplished only once before in league history. The Cardinals won the men’s title in each season from 1964-73 and have 22 championships to their credit, including six of the previous eight.

The Cardinals are led by junior Hugues Joannes, who boasts a team-low scoring average of 73.17 strokes and team-best four top-five finishes, junior Xavier Feyaerts and seniors Leroux Ferriera and Justing Harding, a trio that has turned in multiple top-10 tournament performances this season.

For UT Arlington, Michael Van DeVenter boasts a first-place finish from this year’s UT Arlington Invitational, an event that saw he and junior teammate Bobby Massa finish one-two. With a stroke average of 71.89, Massa led the Mavericks in scoring this season more often than he did not, and he also boasts a tournament title from the Border Olympics in Laredo this March.

One of the young guns to watch is Central Arkansas sophomore Gideon Pienaar. He enters next week’s tournament with the lowest scoring average among all Southland players with a 71.71. Massa is the only other league player with an average below 72. Pienaar took first at the Arkansas-Little Rock First Tee Collegiate in March and leads all Bears in top-10 finishes.

Southeastern Louisiana is another team that will have its sights set on a championship. Senior Matthew Carvell won the Lions’ opening tournament back in September in Chattanooga, Tenn., and maintained consistent play throughout the season. He boasts a scoring average of 73.25, the best among all Lions. Sophomore teammate Cedric Scotto is right behind him with a 73.67 average with one win and three top-10 finishes.

The only player with two tournament wins heading into The Club at Comanche Trace is Sam Houston State junior Fergal Rafferty. He first won the Texoma Shootout in Kingston, Okla., back on Oct. 7 and followed suit three weeks later with a win at the UTSA Invitational.

Other players to watch include Sam Houston State sophomore Scott Kelly, Stephen F. Austin sophomores Kyle Robbins and Michael Smith, UT Arlington sophomore Zack Fisher, UTSA senior Kyle Collins and Texas State junior Jeff Gerlich, among many others.

The conference tournament is slated to tee off Monday morning, where pairings will be based on seeding. Players will then play 18 holes of golf on Monday and Tuesday before the final round of 18 holes commences on Wednesday.

Central Arkansas is not eligible to earn the Southland’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament during its transition period from Division II to Division I.  If the Bears were to win this year’s event, the team finishing in second place will move on to represent the Southland in the NCAA tournament.

Ten Southland universities field a men’s golf team: Central Arkansas, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington, UTSA and Texas State.

Live scoring for the 2009 Southland Conference Men’s Golf Championship will be available at www.southland.org.