KENNESAW, Ga. -- The Samford University men's golf team will begin play in its third tournament in four weeks Monday as the Bulldogs square off against participants from 12 teams at the inaugural Pinetree Intercollegiate being hosted by Kennesaw State University, Oct. 22-23, at the par 72, 7,108 yards Pinetree Country Club.

The 12-team, 72-player field features three of the top-100 teams in the latest Golfstat.com rankings, with six individuals in the top-100 in the chase for the Golfstat Cup.

The field for this week's 2012 Pinetree Intercollegiate will be comprised of the following: No. 124 Samford, host No. 80 Kennesaw State, No. 40 Ball State, No. 149 Gardner Webb, No. 142 Florida Gulf Coast, No. 165 Jacksonville, No. 66 Louisiana Tech, No. 158 Marquette, No. 108 Middle Tennessee State, No. 215 Northern Illinois, No. 57 South Alabama, No. 184 Troy and Chattanooga individuals.
 
The teams are slated to play 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday. Monday's tee times are scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. (CDT).
 
Samford enters the 2012 Pinetree Intercollegiate after turning in a final-round score of 294 on Tuesday at the talent-laden 2012 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate hosted by the University of Alabama at the Old Overton Club.
 
Samford's third-round score was its best of the 54-hole tournament and concluded the competition with a final team mark of 897 (306-297-294). The Bulldogs finished just three strokes behind eighth-place South Alabama and three strokes ahead of Middle Tennessee. On Tuesday, Samford jumped past both Middle Tennessee and Minnesota.
 
The Bulldogs' Drew Aimone carded a stellar par-70 in the final round of play and concluded the two-day competition with a 54-hole score of 219 (75-74-70). For his efforts, Samford's senior native of Savannah, Ga., earned a 15^th-place finish at the prestigious Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate.
 
Zach Hughes, the Bulldogs' highly-touted sophomore from Mobile, also registered a top-20 finish. After shooting a weekend-best score of 72 in the second round, Hughes followed up that performance with a solid 74 and finished the tournament ranked 19^th in the final individual standings. He concluded the 54-hole event with a total score of 220 (74-72-74).
 
Senior Bill Nabors posted his best score of the competition Tuesday as he turned in a third-round tally of 71. The Bulldogs' native of Decatur finished the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 226 (77-78-71), while fellow-seniors Casey O'Toole and Gabe Hyde rounded out Samford's scoring with marks of 234 (82-73-79) and 241 (80-78-83), respectively.
 
Originally designed by noted architect Chick Adams and opened in 1962, Pinetree Country Club's 18- hole championship golf course has long been regarded as among the finest private golf courses in Georgia. Her sublime parkland beauty and challenging layout attracted Georgia State Amateur Championship in 1976, 1985, 2003 and the upcoming 2013 Championship, as well as qualifying for numerous Georgia and U.S. Amateur Championships.

Over the years, the course also welcomed such legends as Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead and Tommy Aaron. After working as a golf assistant at Pinetree Country Club, Kennesaw native Larry Nelson went on to a Hall of Fame career, winning the U.S. Open and twice winning the PGA Championship.

Several years ago, members decided it was time to renovate their course, so architect Bill Bergin was retained to oversee the project. Bergin's challenge was to preserve the course's original character while improving each hole. He began work in mid-2007. The club opened for play in late October 2008 and members found the results exceeded all expectations. Pinetree Country Club has hosted the Georgia State Amateur Championship three times (2003, 1985 and 1976) and will be hosting this prestigious event again in 2013.

Now 7,108 yards from the championship tees, the par-72 golf course tests every club, winding through and around picturesque rolling hills, the holes framed by towering Georgia pines, flowering shrubs, native hardwoods, babbling brooks and sparkling ponds. Golfers can enjoy an exciting and challenging playing experience regardless of age or skill.