The Vanderbilt men's golf team opens the 2008-09 season this weekend at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament takes place on the north course at the Olympia Fields Country Club, which has hosted four major golf championships including the 2003 U.S. Open. The impressive 15-team field includes three of the top four teams from last year's NCAA Championship, including defending champion UCLA.

Entering his third season at the helm of the Commodores, Vanderbilt Head Coach Tom Shaw is excited to start off the season with such a challenging event.

"We always try to schedule tournaments on the best courses we can find," Shaw said. "Olympia Fields is one of America's finest. It just so happens that the tournament field will be one of the strongest of the year, so our opening event will be a terrific test for everyone."

Shaw will rely on the experience of seniors Jon Curran, a 2007 All-American, and Tyler Matthews, as the Commodores open the year. Junior Hudson Johnson, sophomore Adam Hofmann and freshman Trey DelGreco round out Shaw's lineup for Vanderbilt's first event.

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