USF then continues play Wednesday, March 13 when they head down to Stillwater, Okla. for a single-day dual with one of the most storied golf programs of all-time in Division I power Oklahoma State University. Similar to last year's trip to the University of Arizona, the Cougars will have the opportunity to see how they size up with the No. 18 ranked Cowboys.

The Courses
The Drury Invitational will be held at a different location this season. Drury's previous two tournaments were played at Rivercut Golf Course; however next week's contest will be hosted at Hickory Hills Country Club in Springfield, Mo. Designed by John T. Woodruff in 1926, Hickory Hills was originally modeled after the great St. Andrews Links in Scotland. It has since undergone several changes over the years, yet the par-72 6804-yard private course remains known for its lush greens and level of difficulty.

USF will matchup with OSU at Karsten Creek Golf Course, the Cowboys' home course. Built for the OSU's golf teams, the 7,400 yard course was honored as the Best New Public Course by Golf Digest Magazine in 1994, and achieved a five star rating, making the course one of 10 in the nation to be so honored, by Golf Digest in 1998. Derived from an array of black jack and pin oak trees and dramatic elevation changes not common to the heartland of America, Karsten's beauty has aided OSU's facility to achieve national prominence.

Historically at Drury
In two Drury tournaments, USF's highest finish came last season (4/23) when Troy Klongerbo's individual playoff win helped the Cougars finish third (615) overall, two shots shy a team victory.

USF returns two of their top three scorers from last year's competition, both of which finished in the top-20 of the individual standings. Levi Smith (75-77=152) earned the lowest par three scoring average at 2.88, shooting one-under, nearly two strokes better than the next competitor en route to a sixth place, while Jordan Mueller (77-81=158) tied for 16th overall.

Last Time Out
USF's last competition dates back to October 15-16, 2012 when they wrapped up their fall season with a 14th place finish at the Missouri Western State Invitational in St. Joseph, Mo. The Cougars shot a three-round score of 929 to finish one stroke better than NSIC foes Minot State and Minnesota-Crookston, who tied for 15th overall.

Central Oklahoma captured the team title with a three-round score of 860 (+8), while Central Oklahoma's Eric Kline took individual medalist honors at 3-under-par (210).

USF's top finisher was freshman Andrew Nelson, who finished in a tie for 18th place with a tournament score of 223 (+10). Nelson fired 75-73-75 and led the Cougars in par-3 scoring at 3.17 (+3).

Fall's Top Finishes/Rounds
Top-10 Finishes:
Nick Gottsleben (2x), Mueller (2x), Smith (2x)

Individual Low Rounds:
1. 70 (-2) Mueller, Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
2. 71 (-1) Mueller, NSIC Men's Fall Championship, 10/8-9/2012 (1st round)
3. 70 (E) Smith, SDSU Invite, 09/30/2012 (1st round)
4. 73 (+1) Smith, Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
5. 73 (+2) Andrew Nelson, MWSU Central Region Invitational, 10/15-16/2012 (2nd round)

Team Low Rounds:
1. 299 (+11) Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (1st round)
2. 300 (+16) MWSU Central Region Invitational, 10/15-16/2012 (2nd round)
3. 297 (+17) SDSU Invite, 09/30/2012 (1st round)
4. 305 (+17) Husky Classic, 9/23-24/2012 (2nd round)
5. 310 (+22) Missouri Intercollegiate, Sept. 4-5, 2012 (3rd round)

For a closer look at USF's fall results, please see season statistics (click here).

NSIC Awards
Senior Jordan Mueller earned NSIC Golfer of the Week following his two-round performance at the fall portion of the NSIC Championships. Mueller fired 71-82 in the opening 36 holes to maintain a two-shot lead over Tyler Koivisto of St. Cloud State and Kowan O'Keefe of Minot State heading into the spring session, which will take place April 13-14 at the Jewel Golf Club in Lake City, Minn.

The Connection
Head coach Jenny Coluccio was a three-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference player for the Drury Panthers (2005-07). She tallied 12 Top-15 tournament finishes for a Panthers squad that was ranked as high as no. 6 in the country during its run to three consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference crowns.

Coluccio led the Panthers to an NCAA D-II West Regional Championship in 2005 and the program's first trip to the NCAA DII National Championship in 2007, where the Panthers finished fourth.

Up Next
The Cougars will have the rare opportunity to play at home Friday, March 22 when USF is scheduled to host a Spring Invitational at Elmwood Golf Course in Sioux Falls, S.D.