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Walking off the airplane on the way to Augusta, Georgia, earlier this week, Phil Wildermuth, the head men’s golf coach at St. John’s University, reflected on the postseason. A St. John’s player has scored a tee time in an NCAA regional each of the past three seasons, but Wildermuth is still itching to get a full team into that setting.
Wildermuth wonders if this week at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational might be a little bit like that team regional experience. It has that vibe so far anyway. His team spent the commute to the airport scouting the teams and the players they were about to compete against. The excitement is flowing.
St. Johns played its way into the 16-team field at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, this week by winning last spring’s Golfweek Stifel Spring Challenge. The 54-hole event is played at True Blue Golf Club on Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, each spring.
“You feel like you earned it to be here, that’s how we feel,” Wildermuth said. And that makes it special.
St. John’s will tee it up against top-10-ranked teams like Oklahoma State, LSU and Illinois this week at Forest Hils, which are programs they normally wouldn’t see in the regular season.
“I have two freshmen in the lineup, and this is great experience for them and they’re not afraid to play against these schools, they’re not afraid to play in the bigger events,” Wildermuth said. “This is going to be a great experience for them to get this under their belt.
“This is such a great build for the (Penn State-hosted Rutherford Intercollegiate) we play in two weeks and then ultimately the Big East Conference Championship. So I think this could really propel us forward with confidence in our final stretch right now.”
Given what was at stake, it isn’t surprising that the qualifier to make the roster for this trip, played at the prestigious Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York, was somewhat intense.
Traditionally, a spot in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational comes with one other perk: tickets to the Monday practice round for the Masters Tournament. No one on the St. John’s team has been on the grounds at Augusta National.
A year ago, the Richmond men’s team was equally pumped for the chance to compete in a prestigious field with the cherry on top being Monday at the Masters. Richmond head coach Adam Decker called the Masters practice round a “kids in a candy store” kind of day. His men wanted to see every hole.
Richmond won their spot in the 2025 Augusta Haskins Award Invitational by topping the field at True Blue Golf Club in the spring of 2024.
“I think the vibe was super that day when we actually won the event,” Decker said. “It was such excitement on that van ride home. I remember it was just like, guys were overwhelmed with the thought of – a lot of them had never been to Masters before. Oh by the way, you get to play against some of the best teams in the country.”
The usual Augusta Haskins exemption will be up for grabs this week for the fourth time when the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge is played at True Blue on April 6-8. Starting this year, the women’s tournament played across the street at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club will also come with a coveted exemption into the inaugural Haskins Women’s Intercollegiate, a 12-team event to be played at the Country Club of Columbus in October 2026.
“The thing I like the most about what this event has created is what we have seen in that final round. It feels like a conference championship. Teams all know what is at stake. It’s a great tune up for their conference tourney,” said tournament director Lance Ringler of Golfweek. “And I expect that same sort of vibe this year on the women’s side.”
Coastal Carolina, which has won the team title two of the past five years, highlights the 19-team women’s field. Other top programs include North Carolina-Asheville, Middle Tennessee and Ball State.
The 16-team men’s Stifel field, meanwhile, features UAB and Jacksonville State. Both programs are ranked inside the top 125 nationally.
“The Haskins Foundation is proud to partner with Golfweek for the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge, an event we look forward to each year. Our time at True Blue and Caledonia is always special, and it has truly become one of our favorite stops,” said Brian Stubbs, executive director of the Haskins Foundation. “We’re honored to continue providing an exemption on the men’s side into the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, and this year, we’re excited to expand that opportunity by offering an exemption on the women’s side into our inaugural Haskins Women’s Intercollegiate in Columbus, Georgia this October!
“It means everything to us to be able to support these teams and to have that same support reciprocated back to the Awards.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Augusta Haskins exemptions up ante at Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge
Continue reading...
Wildermuth wonders if this week at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational might be a little bit like that team regional experience. It has that vibe so far anyway. His team spent the commute to the airport scouting the teams and the players they were about to compete against. The excitement is flowing.
St. Johns played its way into the 16-team field at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, this week by winning last spring’s Golfweek Stifel Spring Challenge. The 54-hole event is played at True Blue Golf Club on Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, each spring.
“You feel like you earned it to be here, that’s how we feel,” Wildermuth said. And that makes it special.
St. John’s will tee it up against top-10-ranked teams like Oklahoma State, LSU and Illinois this week at Forest Hils, which are programs they normally wouldn’t see in the regular season.
“I have two freshmen in the lineup, and this is great experience for them and they’re not afraid to play against these schools, they’re not afraid to play in the bigger events,” Wildermuth said. “This is going to be a great experience for them to get this under their belt.
“This is such a great build for the (Penn State-hosted Rutherford Intercollegiate) we play in two weeks and then ultimately the Big East Conference Championship. So I think this could really propel us forward with confidence in our final stretch right now.”
Given what was at stake, it isn’t surprising that the qualifier to make the roster for this trip, played at the prestigious Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York, was somewhat intense.
Traditionally, a spot in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational comes with one other perk: tickets to the Monday practice round for the Masters Tournament. No one on the St. John’s team has been on the grounds at Augusta National.
A year ago, the Richmond men’s team was equally pumped for the chance to compete in a prestigious field with the cherry on top being Monday at the Masters. Richmond head coach Adam Decker called the Masters practice round a “kids in a candy store” kind of day. His men wanted to see every hole.
Richmond won their spot in the 2025 Augusta Haskins Award Invitational by topping the field at True Blue Golf Club in the spring of 2024.
“I think the vibe was super that day when we actually won the event,” Decker said. “It was such excitement on that van ride home. I remember it was just like, guys were overwhelmed with the thought of – a lot of them had never been to Masters before. Oh by the way, you get to play against some of the best teams in the country.”
The usual Augusta Haskins exemption will be up for grabs this week for the fourth time when the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge is played at True Blue on April 6-8. Starting this year, the women’s tournament played across the street at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club will also come with a coveted exemption into the inaugural Haskins Women’s Intercollegiate, a 12-team event to be played at the Country Club of Columbus in October 2026.
“The thing I like the most about what this event has created is what we have seen in that final round. It feels like a conference championship. Teams all know what is at stake. It’s a great tune up for their conference tourney,” said tournament director Lance Ringler of Golfweek. “And I expect that same sort of vibe this year on the women’s side.”
Coastal Carolina, which has won the team title two of the past five years, highlights the 19-team women’s field. Other top programs include North Carolina-Asheville, Middle Tennessee and Ball State.
The 16-team men’s Stifel field, meanwhile, features UAB and Jacksonville State. Both programs are ranked inside the top 125 nationally.
“The Haskins Foundation is proud to partner with Golfweek for the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge, an event we look forward to each year. Our time at True Blue and Caledonia is always special, and it has truly become one of our favorite stops,” said Brian Stubbs, executive director of the Haskins Foundation. “We’re honored to continue providing an exemption on the men’s side into the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, and this year, we’re excited to expand that opportunity by offering an exemption on the women’s side into our inaugural Haskins Women’s Intercollegiate in Columbus, Georgia this October!
“It means everything to us to be able to support these teams and to have that same support reciprocated back to the Awards.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Augusta Haskins exemptions up ante at Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge
Continue reading...
