JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State University men's golf team begins the 2026-27 season at the Inverness Intercollegiate, Sept. 13-15, at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
A 2025-26 Southern Conference All-Freshman Team member, Richard Saunders, is set to tee of first for East Tennessee State after competing in 33 rounds in the previous season and had a 72.30 scoring average. The sophomore had a low round of 68 and collected four top-20 finishes.
Another Southern Conference All-Freshman Team member, Veigar Heiðarsson will tee off second for the Bucs. The sophomore played in 33 rounds last season with a 73.33 scoring average. He registered his highest finish of the season at the SoCon Championships with an 18th-place finish, posting rounds of 73, 76, 69 for a 54-hole score of 218.
Oli Blackadder is next off the tee for the Buccaneers. Blackadder was also a 2025-26 SoCon-All Freshman Team selection and was named the SoCon Golfer of the Week, March 11. The sophomore played in 33 rounds last season with a 72.52 scoring average, with a career low of 66 at the Hootie Intercollegiate on March 22.
Fourth is freshman Erik Tjarnberg, who will be competing in his first event for the Bucs.
Rounding out the Bucs' lineup is 2025-26 All-SoCon Team member Gavin Tiernan, who played in 30 rounds with a scoring average of 71.50, placing sixth in the SoCon. He finished in a tie for 12th place at the SoCon Championship with round scores of 70, 75, 71, with his highest finish of the year being a tie for fourth place at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, shooting 67, 69, 67.
The 18th Inverness Intercollegiate field includes Auburn, Austin Peay, Clemson, Iowa, Louisiana State, Loyola Marymount, Michigan, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Toledo, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.
Founded in 1903, Inverness Club has served as the host site for the 2009 NCAA Men's Golf Championships. Inverness hosted the 2021 Solheim Cup in addition to previously hosting four U.S. Opens, two U.S. Senior Opens, two PGA Championships, and one U.S. Amateur. The Club was also named the host site for the 2027 U.S. Women's Open, the 2029 U.S. Amateur, 2033 U.S. Girls' Junior Amateur, 2036 U.S. Women's Amateur, and the 2045 U.S. Open.
The Inverness Invitational begins with 8:00 a.m. tee times on Sunday. Select portions of the event can be viewed on ESPN+.
For news and updates ahead of the Buccaneers' 2026-27 season, follow the men's golf team on X (@ETSU_MGolf) and Instagram (@etsumgolf) or check back in on etsubucs.com.
