It’s a battle to qualify for tournaments for the Western Kentucky men’s golf team this season, and head coach Phillip Hatchett says that’s a good thing.

Competition has been fierce each week for the Hilltoppers, who return to action this weekend at Wyoming’s Southern Dunes Invitational after a few weeks off from tournament play. 

Hatchett said it’s taken scores of around even-par to qualify for WKU this season, which has dropped by about three strokes in recent years.

“It just shows what kind of depth we have this year that we haven’t had in years past,” Hatchett said in a news release. “It’s just going to be a lot of fun when people start firing on all cylinders.” 

WKU will be one of 12 teams participating Saturday and Sunday at the par-72, 7,546-yard Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz. Play is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. CT both days with a shotgun start. 

Juniors Blake Smith and Stuart Easton, redshirt junior Billy Tom Sargent and freshmen Chase Landrum and Crimson Callahan will represent the Hilltoppers this week.

WKU hasn’t competed in nearly a month but is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Memphis Intercollegiate on Sept. 19.

The Hilltoppers had three golfers finish in the top 11 individually, led by Easton’s tie for fifth. Callahan tied for 11th in his second college tournament, while Landrum also made his college debut.

“The first tournament in Indiana was a little bit of a struggle,” Callahan said. “It was the first realization of what college golf life is like. We moved forward to Memphis and finished tied for 11th, came back strong and now loving college golf.”